Devil in the Sand
by goddess of all things yaoi
Summary: After their battle against Kimimaro, Lee and Gaara make a little mistake that will change the rest of their lives. Rated M because little kids shouldn't be reading this. yaoi, mpreg, kidnap, misconceptions, etc... GaaraXLee
1. Prologue the beginning

Author's Note: This will have some intense scenes with our two lead characters. So if you don't like it, don't read it. This isn't my best work so _constructive criticism_ is helpful.

A blood red sun shone down upon the two shinobi. A beam of light reflected off one of the forehead proctors, disappearing into the sky. Rock Lee lay sprawled on the ground, hands behind his head and feet crossed. He glanced at his companion and could only wonder what thoughts hid behind his silent, emotionless features. Gaara leaned forward, one elbow resting on his drawn up knee while his other leg stretched out in front of him. His eyes wandered skyward and his mind drifted into the calm nothingness that he'd discovered; of course this was only after being beaten by one Uzumaki Naruto.

'I hope Naruto is able to reach Uchiha.' Lee thought with a sigh. 'Although neither has said anything…well, no one loves Sasuke more then Naruto does. And I had thought that Sasuke had felt the same way. Maybe we were all wrong.' Lee twisted his head and looked at Gaara. "Hey Gaara?" He got no response but continued anyway. "Why did you come back?"

Slowly, Gaara turned piercing eyes to look at him. Within the misty depths, Lee glimpsed site of a world beyond his comprehension. He gulped and waited. Just when he was about to give up on getting an answer, Gaara opened his mouth to utter a single word, "Business." Rock Lee gave him a droll stare. 'Well no kidding? I never would have guessed.'

"Why are you here? This should have been Naruto's fight, not yours." Lee was taken aback by the question.

"Well, it's because we're all teammates, we're all friends. That's what we do. It's all apart of being a ninja; helping out others and being there for your fellow shinobi."

Gaara gave him what Lee could only interpret as confusion. "Friends?"

"Yeah," Lee gave him a smile, "you know; people you hang out with and share your secrets with, people you trust and respect."

Gaara looked down at upturned palms. "I've never had a friend before."

Using his hands, Lee pushed himself up. "What do you mean? You can't tell me that you've seriously never had a friend before."

Gaara didn't look up as images from his childhood slid through his mind like a never-ending movie. "Everyone I've ever met, everyone I've ever known, look at me with fear. I have no friends. I have no true companions."

Lee made a fist with his hand before sticking it out towards Gaara. "Fine! Then I'll be your first friend! The happiness and vitality of youth shall not be taken by the ignorance of cowards!"

Gaara stared at the hand for a long time. A strange feeling swept him and his chest began to throb. Unlike previous times though, the pain in his chest felt nice; it was the most foreign feeling he had ever experienced. With a shaking arm, Gaara placed his hand in Lee's. Rock Lee grasped it with a comforting pressure and grinned. Lee stood, dragging a dazed Gaara to his feet. "You were heading to Konoha right?" Gaara gave a swift nod. "Then let me treat you to some dinner and a cup of sake."

"Friends do this?"

"All the time!"


	2. Ch1 blissful pain

Author's note: If you are not old enough to read mature content, then please don't read any further. Thank you for your consideration.

After a dinner of sirloin and shougayaki (which Lee was surprised to find was Gaara's favorite dish) and a 'few' cups of sake, Lee and Gaara were at Lee's apartment were he had offered to let Gaara stay for the night. Rock Lee (_slightly_ drunk) looked at Gaara as he examined the apartment, taking off his shoes, and setting down his gourd with a loud 'thud'. Lee walked closer to Gaara, admiring his exotic beauty. Although unknown to most, Lee was in fact bisexual, having no difficulty in identifying the beauty in one such as Gaara. But, until now, Lee had never even let a thought pass his mind about actually doing anything with the red-head.

Gaara was a bit dazed. He had never been one to drink. Of course that was before he found out how good it tasted…Unfortunately for him though, Shukaku had absorbed most of the alcohol by now and left him with nothing but a dull thudding pain in his head that was making him quite aggravated. He looked up. Rock Lee had moved closer to him, staring at him in a way Gaara had never seen from anyone before. Gaara stood his ground as Lee stepped in front of him, ready to fight if need be. But Lee didn't attack him. Instead, he slowly raised his hand which the other could only stare at. Delicately he ran his finger over the red tattoo on Gaara's forehead leaving him bewildered. No one had ever done that before. In fact, no one had ever been brave enough, or stupid enough, to try it.

"Gaara; has anyone ever told you that you're very beautiful?" Lee asked in a slightly slurred voice, weaving in closer.

Gaara blinked in surprise. If he'd had eyebrows, you could be sure that one would have shot straight up. Lee's hand then drifted to the red-head's neck where it slowly caressed the line from the ear to the hollow of the throat. Gaara couldn't understand it, but for some reason a violent tremor ran down his body. He wanted to know what was going on. He wanted to back away. But Gaara refused to be intimidated. Lee slowly wrapped his fingers around Gaara's neck and Gaara had to force his body to remain still. But then, something unexpected happened. The black haired boy lowered his lips onto Gaara's. A strange sensation ran through his body and for the first time in his life, Gaara was bound, bound by the hypnotic motion of another's lips on his own. Without consent, his lips began to move on their own.

Once he'd trapped the other, Lee started ripping off any of Gaara's clothes that he could get a hold of. With a final tug, Gaara stood with nothing more than his pants on. Like an expert, Lee reached back and undid his jumpsuit, stripping it down his body, somehow managing to stay connected to Gaara's soft lips. Lee's sudden nakedness brought a gasp from the inexperienced boy. With the release of lips, Lee sank onto the exposed neck with a vengeance. He kissed the neck and when he got little reaction, he bit down hard, causing the boy's hands to fly up and into his hair.

Gaara felt the slicing pleasure and pain as Lee's teeth broke skin and he was surprised to find the sand did not protect him. This was real. This couldn't be real. It all felt so good…

Lee slowly began moving forward, forcing the smaller boy against a chill wall where he quickly disposed of the rest of the clothing. Gaara felt the cool brush of air against his bare flesh. But distraction came again as Lee nipped and licked his way down his chest. Gaara firmly held onto the sleek black hair, pushing the teeth harder against his flesh, forcing more pleasure, more pain.

Gaara let out a strangled scream. Lee licked up the smooth length, hardening him almost instantly. Gaara gripped the hair in his hands even harder, holding on for dear life as his hips bucked. The boy crouched before him smirked against his tip before taking him into his mouth, running his devil's tongue up underneath. With a shake and a buck, Gaara felt his breath turn ragged and then each breath turned into a pant. Eyes widening and mouth hanging open, he felt the lips begin to move up and down. Warmth began spreading through his stomach and his hips began pushing forward and back in an erratic rhythm. The heat became hotter and hotter and just when he thought he'd get some release from the overwhelming heat, Lee pulled him out of his mouth, leaving Gaara whimpering against the wall.

The smaller boy shook, drifting in a haze, unaware when he was carried off to be placed on a bed. The sheets rubbed against his flesh, forcing out another gasp. Lee leaned over him, his eyes glazed with lust. Gripping Gaara's lean calves, he slowly pushed the legs up, exposing all for him. Ignoring common sense, ignoring what might result, ignoring everything but the overwhelming need; Lee forced his way into Gaara. The boy's mouth opened in a silent scream. His flesh pulled, ripped, bled. Through a sea of pain, Gaara felt a tug of sharp pleasure, demanding to be noticed, because pain…pain was the ultimate pleasure. And Gaara wanted it.

When Lee began to move, Gaara dug his hands into the sheets and cried for all that this was; a way to experience physical pain. Gaara's body slowly grew used to the sensation and began moving on its own, soon matching Lee's thrusts, wallowing in the passion that was Rock Lee.

Their motions both turned erratic and Gaara soon felt that scalding heat burning deep within. His breath spilled out of his body in a broken shriek as Lee finally hit the magic spot. Hands tore through the sheets as Lee found the spot again and again. Gaara's scream tore through the night as the pleasure became too intense and a hidden power ran down his skin. Without help, Gaara felt his body hit a peak. His back arched against the searing heat of power and release that tore over him. Lee, caught in his final moment, did not feel the current of power or the sting of pain as a bright light enveloped the both of them. He spilled into Gaara's ravaged body and collapsed forward. His vision swam and the darkness of unconsciousness overtook him.

Rock Lee awoke to a pounding headache and a sore body. He felt as if he had run a marathon in an hour flat. Cracking open an eye he looked at his empty bed. "Was it a dream?" He rasped out while sitting. His skin paled a bit as he looked down. "No. What did I do?" He asked in horror as he saw the stains of blood covering the white sheets. He looked at his naked form to find it bloody, none of the blood his own. His head popped up and he tentatively called out, "Gaara?"

He received no response. Forcing his protesting muscles up, Lee stood and explored his house, searching for any sign of the red-head. He found none. The only evidence that he'd even been in the house were the spills of liquid on his bed sheets. Not a comforting thought. Rubbing his still throbbing temples, he went to the kitchen and grabbed a bite to eat. Only the most excruciating workout would dispel the uneasy feeling that had buried its way into Lee's heart.


	3. Ch2 returning home

Author's Note: This chapter has some disturbing stuff in it. Well, ok, maybe not so much disturbing as bloody and somewhat gross. You have been warned.

**Disclaimer: **(it's a bit late; whoops) I own none of the Naruto characters or anything involved with the Naruto story. That all goes to the creator. I own only the plotline created for this story.

It had already been four days and still the pain persisted. He wasn't stupid enough to believe he shouldn't get medical attention. He was, however, smart enough to know that many questions would be asked and he was in no mood to admit Rock Lee had seriously wounded him and how. Besides, even if he wanted to be looked at, the nearest town was miles away. He was soon forced to take a break and rest his torn body. He knew now that it was going to take quite a bit longer to get home then was normal. He also knew that Temari and Kankuro would begin to wonder.

Each of his siblings had made a large effort to try to be more accepting of their younger brother after his fight with Naruto. Nevertheless, they still approached him with a bit of trepidation. He had changed much since the fight and although not afraid of him personally, they were still afraid of what Shukaku could do through him. The demon smirked at him from within his mind. How he hated him. And the raccoon hated him just as much. With a grunt, Gaara pushed himself up and forced his body to continue moving. It was days like this that he'd give anything for a good nights sleep. He would've slept right now, but he didn't want to give that damn raccoon the satisfaction.

Gaara was finally home. Since his fight, the three sand-ninjas had moved into a small house together. It was another way for the three of them to make steps towards being a good team and hopefully good siblings. It was breakfast time and Kankuro and Temari were sitting at the kitchen table in the midst of eating. Gaara was too worn out to even consider acknowledging them. They glanced up and Temari spoke. "Welcome back. We were a bit worried at how long you were taking to get back. Is everything alright?"

Gaara ignored her and stumbled up the stairs to his room. He slammed the door and threw his gourd to the floor. He collapsed forward onto his unused bed and curled up. He was irritated, he was stiff, he was nauseous, and just before he left that God damn forest he'd fallen out of a tree (due to an overwhelming feeling of dizziness) and reopened his wound. Something was terribly wrong, but he refused to move, refused to see a doctor, and refused to respond to Temari when she knocked on his door.

He hated that he didn't understand what the hell was going on. Although, Shukaku seemed to know and be enjoying his torment, considering he'd been laughing for the past two weeks. Temari opened his door slowly and gasped when she saw him. "Kankuro! Get up here right now! There's something wrong!"

Kankuro bounded up the stairs to see what all the commotion was about. He reached Gaara's room and looked at his sister. They both stepped into the room carefully and looked at their little brother who'd turned away from them, giving them his back. He'd wrapped his arms around his stomach, trying to ignore how hot he was beginning to feel. Temari approached the bed with Kankuro hanging back. "Gaara?" Unexpectedly, he began to shake. A groan snaked past his lips and his eyes squeezed tightly shut as Temari got closer. It was then that she smelled the blood. Leaning over, she ran a hand over his forehead. "Kankuro, he's burning up here. Go get some cold, wet rags for me."

Kankuro nodded and left the room, hands in his pockets. Temari's hidden mothering instincts took hold of her as she ran a hand through Gaara's sweaty hair. "Gaara? Gaara, I need you to tell me where you're bleeding."

His eyes snapped open for only a second before tightly closing again. He shook his head and managed to get out one hoarse sentence. "No! I don't need any help!"

Temari was a bit frightened. She'd never seen Gaara so hurt before. In fact the only other time he'd been hurt was his battle with Sasuke where he got that simple chest wound. "Gaara, you have to let me help you. Your wound might get infected; in fact it might be already. Please Gaara." Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Gaara lay unconscious in a hot, sweaty heap in front of her.

Kankuro walked back into the room, wet rags in hand. He set them down on the nightstand and looked down at his little brother. "He doesn't look to good does he?" Temari turned and gave him a hard stare. He held up his hands. "Sorry."

Temari looked back down and set her jaw, indicating that they were about to do something Kankuro _really_ wouldn't like. "Kankuro, I need you to help me undress him."

"What!"

"Listen you dumb-fuck, I have to find the wound and I can't do it while he's awake. He won't let me. I don't know how much time we have before he wakes up so I need to get this done as soon as possible."

Kankuro sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Fine, but you do know how wrong and disturbing this is right?"

"Just hurry up and help me! I just hope we can clean this up without having to see a doctor. You remember the last time right?"

Kankuro shuddered. "Don't remind me."

Tentatively, each sibling stretched shaking hands out to slowly begin peeling away the layers of clothing. In his sleep, Gaara weakly pushed at their hands but to no avail. In a matter of minutes, a naked Gaara lay sprawled stomach down on the bed. His bloodied clothing lay in a pile on the floor. Neither could believe their eyes. Every time his body twitched, a new tear of blood ran down his leg. His entire backside was coated in a thin layer of blood, sending a stale coppery scent into the air.

Kankuro coughed at the smell while Temari held a hand over her gasping mouth. "Gaara! What have they done to you?" Her voice was drowned in the coughs of her brother. Her hand violently shook as she touched his lower back. When she got closer to the actually crack, Gaara shuddered with a moan. She looked up at Kankuro who just stood their in stunned silence.

"You should probably leave. I'll take care of things from here. If I need you I'll call." Kankuro nodded his head, happy to be leaving the room.

Temari took one of the wet rags and began to wipe up the blood. The first couple strokes brought out small movement, but his body soon relaxed and allowed her to finish. After the blood was cleaned up she stared at him. Was she willing to lay aside her past misgivings, her dignity, to do what she knew had to be done? She soon had her answer. Gaara had no one to go to. No other place to call home. If she didn't help him, who would?

Taking up a fresh rag she lifted one cheek. As gently as possible, she dabbed as much of the wound as she could, cleaning it as best as one in her position could. She stood up and gazed down at her little brother. From the end of the bed she grabbed a quilt and covered him with it. Unconsciously, he grabbed hold of it and snuggled into the bed, his body finally comfortable after Temari's painfully slow administrations. She smiled, surprised and happy that for the time being, Shukaku was letting him have a good rest without trying to gain control. She shut the door her way out and walked down to the kitchen. Kankuro was at the kitchen table, glass of water in hand. "How is he?"

"Better. His fever's gone down a bit and the shaking has stopped." She sat down hard in a chair. "I still don't understand it though. Who could possibly be strong enough to do that to him?"

"Do what exactly?" Kankuro asked this, although deep down, he already knew the answer.

Temari clenched her teeth in anger. "Rape him."


	4. Ch3 Lee's breakdown

Author's Note: I must apologize for some mistakes in the first couple chapters. I'm sure you noticed, but there were times in the chapters when there was a switch in location/perspective/time. I did put asterisks inbetween the different sections. I didn't however notice that when I downloaded it onto the site, it deletes the asterisks. So I hope it didn't confuse you guys too much! In the chapters from now on, I will write in 'Break' when there are changes like that. Thanks for reading!

It had been two weeks…and Lee was completely out of it. Everyone knew it. Everyone saw it. But no one could understand why. His team members were the first to notice the change. He punched harder, he ran quicker, he kicked more ferociously, he was less controlled. It seemed almost desperate. Hell, Neji almost couldn't keep up. In fact, Neji almost got beaten.

"Yo, Lee!" Lee's hair flashed as he turned around to the sound of Tenten's voice.

"Hmm?"

"What's gotten into you lately? Is there some new chick you wanna impress or something? Lose interest in Sakura or what?"

Lee tensed up. His head fell forward before looking towards what, Tenten didn't know. "I'm punishing myself."

"What!" Tenten's question was not answered. Lee had already walked away...

That night the restaurant was packed, especially their table. Everyone was there; Lee, Neji, Tenten, Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, and even Shino were there. Everything was lively and everyone was having fun, except for Lee. Leaning back in his chair, Lee held his glass of water at arms length and watched its swirling depths. Tenten, always one to gossip, was **determined** to find out what was up with her teammate. 'I'm punishing myself' just didn't cut it. "So Lee, tell me; what was earlier all about, hmm?"

"Oh, it was nothing really. I just, ah, feel a _bit_ guilty about something that happened a couple weeks ago."

"Really?" Tenten perked right up at this. This was the most he'd said about it since he had started acting this way. "Oh come on, it can't be that bad! I mean it's not like you _killed _someone or _raped _someone. You can tell me!" Lee's eyes opened wide at her last statement. He then, of course, burst into tears, much to her chagrin.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt anyone! How could I have done it! I have **crushed** the tender shoots of youth and vigor from the plant of life!" By now everyone was staring at Lee, shocked and curious at the same time.

"What did you do Lee? It can't be all that bad!" Tenten said with encouragement.

"But it is! Trust is the most important thing in a friendship! I had that trust. Then I destroyed it! In one fell swoop I killed it! It was only the one glass! It was only _one_ glass! Why did I have to do it! I thought everything was okay at the beginning! I really did! But it only ended in pain! How could I do it! I thought I had better control!"

"Whoa. Hold on a sec Lee. Did you drink sake again? Do not tell me you drank it again!"

"But I did Tenten! And then, I did it."

Naruto was irritated enough by now that he had to cut in. "Wait a minute! Are you saying that you fucked someone?" This earned him a large lump on the head, courtesy of Sakura.

Everyone waited in heated anticipation. "Yes."

The table became a whirlwind of pandemonium. Questions were being asked left and right. Everyone wanted to know who, when, where, why. Naruto's voice cut over everyone else's though. He was after all the town's loudest ninja. "Umm Lee; usually when a guy has sex, it's a good thing, not a bad thing."

"I'm not saying it didn't feel, umm, well, err, never mind. That doesn't matter! What matters is what I did! There was so much blood Naruto! So much blood!" With tears still streaming down his face, Lee leapt over to Naruto and grabbed the front of his jacket, shaking him violently. "It took me a week, do you hear me, a _week_ to get out all the blood! It was everywhere! It was so horrible. I barely remember a thing and the blood, oh dear the blood."

Everyone got real quiet. Neji spoke up. "That just means she was a virgin you dumb-ass. Did you ever think about that?"

"She? Oh, right, umm, no because I was too concerned about the pain _she_ must have gone through. She was gone by the time I woke up and I'm worried I might have ruined the friendship. We were friends after all." He looked down shame faced.

The guys around the table laughed while the girls glared. Naruto was the unfortunate one to speak. "Yeah, she's probably just ashamed cause she gave up her virginity to you fuzzy-brows!" He received another hard blow from Sakura.

Neji spoke up again, surprising calm and _knowledgeable_ about these things. "She enjoyed it right?"

Lee turned a bright shade of red. "It seemed like it at the time."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. She'll eventually come around. Just give her some time. She'll come back for more. They always do." Neji of course, received a sharp 'thwack' on the head from his teammate for that one.

Lee sat back down. "I hope you're right." Lee looked at Neji nervously.

"Of course I'm right. When have I ever been wrong?" Everyone at the table turned to look at him. "What?"

Hinata looked around the table and pulled on Shino's jacket. "Umm, Shino-kun?" Her voice came out in barely a whisper, but Shino did hear her. He leaned in a bit closer and nodded, indicating for her to continue. "Umm, did you too notice that Lee-san seemed a bit confused about the she thing? He did umm, you know, with a girl right?"

Shino answered her question bluntly. "No, you aren't the only one. I doubt it was a girl by the way he was talking." Hinata blushed at this and looked down at the table, quite embarrassed now. They, however, had not been the only two that noticed…

**Afterthought:** I thought this would be a fun little thing to add at the end of the chapter (thank you b2 for the idea!)

Shikamaru was leaving the restaurant, slowly catching up to two of his fellow shinobi.

"Oi! Kiba, Naruto!" The two boys stopped in their tracks, letting the others in the group pass them by as Shikamaru made his way up to them.

"What do you want Nara?" Kiba asked with slight annoyance.

"I do believe that the two of you both owe me some money." Both boys' eyes twitched at the comment. "1700 yen to be exact."

Kiba growled at him. "I don't recall."

"I don't recall you sending in Akamaru to steal food from the market either, nor do I recall that incident down at the girl's bath house…need I go on?"

Kiba snarled, digging into his pockets for the money.

Naruto slapped his forehead. "Aw man! I never thought he'd actually screw someone! I mean come on! Its fuzzy-brows! It could have been anyone but him. I mean, hell, I could even see Gaara getting laid before him."

Shikamaru lifted an eyebrow. "That will never happen; just fork over the cash."


	5. Ch4 you're pregnant!

Author's Note: hey everyone! I'd like to thank everyone who has been reading my story so far. I do have some unfortunate news though. Don't worry, I won't stop writing. But I won't be able to keep posting at the rate I am. I will try to post twice a week but in some cases I might only be able to post once a week. I have a tough class starting this saturday and I have a lot of work to do next week before I go back to school (completely...shudder). Please continue to read because I have a lot of interesting things coming in later chapters that you won't want to miss! Now on with the story...Oh, and for anyone who likes Kankuro, this chapter at least gives him some time in the spot light. And yes, the sand siblings swear like sailors, but that's what we love about them!

The past two weeks since Gaara's return had been hell on everyone. He'd been sick, moody, and kept on insisting on walking around and doing physical activities, even though the wound was still sensitive to movement. Of the three, Kankuro always managed to get the short end of the stick. Temari was now ordering him around like a pack mule. In fact, sometimes when Kankuro looked at Temari's expression, he felt she was looking at him as if he were one. Of course Temari enjoyed every second of his suffering. Especially the first couple days…

Thirteen days ago (day after Gaara's return)…

"Kankuro, I need you to go get me something from the doctors."

Kankuro looked up at his sister and raised an eyebrow. "What do you need now? We have everything that we possibly could need here. And why do I need to run your fucking errands?"

Temari glared at him with ferocity. "It isn't for me baka! It's for your brother. And you are going to do it because I have other things I have to do and you are just sitting on your fat lazy ass! Now get up you dumb-fuck! I need you to get something that works on cuts and torn muscle. You got that or do I need to beat it into you?"

Kankuro stood up. "Alright, alright I'll go! Just don't except me to cook tonight!"

She gave him an irritated stare. "But you never cook."

"Whatever." Kankuro walked out of the house and started down the street. He put his hands in his pockets and dropped his head down against the wind. He eventually made it to the hospital and headed towards the far entrance; the one where non-bleeding patients went to get checked out. He walked in and automatically got a strong whiff of the stale, sanitized smell all hospitals had. Walking up to the front counter he was almost seething as he looked at the receptionist. She looked up and smiled at him.

"May I help you sir?"

"I need to see a med-nin about getting some medicine." His voice came out in a displeased mutter.

"Alright sir, I'll see if one is available at this time." She picked up a headset from the counter and pushed a small button on its side. "Hashi-sama, are you available to take any visitors at this time? Good, I'll send him down." She set down the headset and looked up at Kankuro. "Hashi-sama will see you in room 112. He's down the hall on your left." Kankuro nodded and headed off. "Have a great day!"

Kankuro walked to the room and stepped inside without knocking. The med-ninja was sitting at a counter, comparing notes between a document and a book he was reading. He looked up when Kankuro entered. "What may I help you with?" Kankuro shut the door and leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest. His left eye twitching, Kankuro looked at him.

"I need something that helps heal cuts and torn muscle simultaneously."

"Is it a large injury? Where is the injury?"

Kankuro's fingers started clenching and unclenching while his eye continued to twitch away. "It must be a big injury from the amount of blood that had to be cleaned up. Don't ask me where."

Hashi chuckled. "Anything you say here is confidential. Even if it's embarrassing it's better for me to prescribe the right medicine the first time, no?"

Kankuro scowled at him. That damn doctor knew where it was, he just wanted to hear Kankuro say it. He just wanted to get some sick fun out of this didn't he? "Fine, you want to know the truth? My little _friend_ has the biggest fucking anal tear alright? You satisfied now?"

"Son, it's nothing to be ashamed of. You could have just told me you were having this problem from the get-go."

Kankuro's teeth clenched and he gave the doctor a death glare. "I'm not fucking gay. You got the wrong kid. The one who did get raped however, needs some medicine, so are you going to give it to me or not?"

Hashi's eyes opened in shock. "Raped? You need to bring him here at once! He should get checked out by a professional!"

"Sorry doc, I just don't see that one happening anytime soon. So can I just get what I need?"

The med-ninja sighed. "Alright, fine, but I'm giving you the strongest one we have. Rape cases are very serious now-a-days. This should heal up the wound real nice!"

He opened up a cupboard and pulled out a small tube. Facing Kankuro, he handed him the medicine. "Your friend will need to apply this twice a day for the next couple days. That should disinfect it and seal up the wound really quick. It's also a powerful pain killer so don't expect him to be doing a lot of moving for the next few days. In fact, I'm telling you he shouldn't move for the next couple days. At least not until his wound is closed up. If there are any side effects or any problems, just come on back. And make sure to bring him with you."

One Week Later…

"GAARA! I told you not to move around so much! Go sit down!" Temari's exasperated voice filled the small confines of the house. Gaara ignored her and kept walking towards the door. "Are you ignoring me?"

"It seems like it doesn't it?" Temari backhanded Kankuro who had made the mistake of standing within her personal space bubble.

Gaara turned and looked at them. "I'm fine. I just need to be alone right now." He slammed the door behind him, shutting out Temari's earsplitting rant.

He quickly ran to the side of the house. He'd been feeling queasy for the past fifteen minutes and he didn't relish the thought of puking in front of his siblings. He grabbed hold of a trash can and hurled his guts out. By the time he was done he felt weak-kneed and was forced to sit down. 'What the hell is happening to me? I've been using that damn medicine. The wound should be healed. I shouldn't still be sick!' Shukaku chuckled, making Gaara's eyes automatically close to slits. 'What did you do Shukaku? What the fuck is going on?'

Gaara could feel the demon smiling before he replied, 'Guess.'

'What? Fuck no! Tell me!'

'I'll give you a hint and a friendly piece of advice.' Shukaku thought mockingly. 'Go ask your sister what happens when someone is fat, round, and craves the most ridiculous things.'

'What?'

'She might just give you the answer you are looking for.'

Present time (a.k.a. one month after Gaara's little side trip with Lee)…

Gaara finally found the courage to ask his sister what Shukaku had said. He didn't want to talk about it. He really wasn't in the best of moods. He was sore all over and for some odd reason when she'd said he might have to see the doctor, he'd almost cried. Him, Gaara, killer of a thousand people had almost cried. He was sick of not knowing and Shukaku was not being helpful. Gaara found Temari in the kitchen, making what he assumed to be beef. He could only assume because the food smelled so rancid he wanted to run to his favorite hangout; the trashcan. "Umm Temari?"

"Yes Gaara?"

"Is that spoiled?"

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "No, I just bought it yesterday."

"Well, you must be doing something wrong because it smells like shit."

Her eye twitched before she turned back to the stove. "Was there something you wanted Gaara?"

"Actually, yes, I wanted to ask you something."

She looked at him with surprise out of the corner of her eye. "Continue."

"Well, I know that something is wrong with me because I'm still sick."

"And moody, don't forget moody!"

Gaara glared at her. "Yes, moody too. Shukaku knows what's wrong but he won't tell me. He's actually spent most of the last month laughing at me." Temari turned completely around to face him at this statement. She did not like where this was going. "He said if I asked _you_ this question I'd be able to figure it out."

Temari gave Gaara a suspicious look; well actually, she gave Shukaku a suspicious look. "Go on."

Gaara sighed. "He told me to ask you, 'What happens when someone is fat, round, and craves the most ridiculous things?'"

Temari looked at him for a moment contemplating the question. The only thing that came to mind however was, "It means the chick is pregnant." Then the implications of what she just said sunk in. "No way, it's not possible. You can't be. You're a guy. Males can't… _Oh boy_."

"What the hell are you talking about Temari?"

With shaking hands she brushed a hair out of her face. "Gaara, have you been throwing up or been getting back pains or even been craving some weird shit?"

"Yes, yes, and is peaches mixed with tofu considered weird? I didn't think it was while I was eating it."

Temari's jaw literally dropped open. "Gaara, I think I know what Shukaku wants you to know."

"Just fucking tell me already!"

"You're pregnant."

Gaara actually laughed; the usually calm, quiet, emotionless boy was literally laughing. "Temari, need I remind you that only females can produce children? You should know this."

Temari gave him a pointed look. "Of course I know that you dumb-ass. But from what you've told me it's the only logical explanation. So don't ask me, ask Shukaku. He's the one that must have fucked with your system."

Gaara's laugh died in his throat. His eyes widened as he turned inward. 'Shukaku?'

'Yes Gaara my pet?'

'Is what Temari said true? What did you do to me? I can't be pregnant. It's not possible.'

Shukaku burst out laughing. 'Don't worry; I'm just fucking around with you!'

Gaara sighed. 'So I'm not pregnant and I'm not really sick.'

Shukaku laughed harder. 'That's not what I said. What I meant was that I _am_ fucking around with you, I _did_ morph your innards into that of a woman, and you _are_ indeed as pregnant as the sky is blue.' Shukaku smirked. 'And you have several months to get used to the idea.'

For the first time in his life, Sabaku no Gaara fainted dead away, the sound of Shukaku's laughter echoing in his head …


	6. Ch5 team Gai's mission

Author's Note: Okay, I know all of you are going to _hate_ me for this chapter. It's not the most interesting. It's basically a filler chapter. I _did_ however, have a reason for writing it. I needed to put certain people together and I needed them to end up alone. Lee's next chapter is not filler and you'll see why I put these characters into the situation. So please don't hate me too much and please continue reading. I pray to God that this is the only chapter that will ever have to be like this (writing them is boring as all hell). I just needed a way to put people in the right situation. I thank you all for understanding...please don't kill me!

Also- Just for a side note; the two villages in this chapter don't actually exist, but just so you know- Kawa means River and Arashi means storm.

By the start of the second month after the event, Lee's team was sent on their longest mission to date. Together, he and his team left Konoha, their sights set on the River Country. Well, his team plus Naruto who had conveniently decided he needed to accompany them. Their mission could actually use the backup though. Not that they liked to admit it.

From the village of Kawagakure, they were to transport the prince of their village to the Lightning Country, disguised as one of them. He was due to marry the princess of the village of Arashigakure. However, Kawagakure was currently at war with a nearby village. And they were determined to stop the wedding. If they didn't find him, the wedding would happen and Arashigakure would send reinforcements (they were unwilling to send any until the marriage was set in stone). Unfortunately for the enemy village, they only had a description of the prince's appearance due to the fact that he rarely left his village.

It took the team a few days to reach their destination. After a couple days travel, they met their guide that led them to a hidden campsite. They were led immediately into the main tent. Within, there were two people. An older graying man in his mid-forties, sat on the right side of the table, his ear length hair falling into his eyes as he leaned down to look at a map. Across from him sat a young man, no more then nineteen. His long, flaxen hair was tied into a high ponytail, leaving his angular face open for scrutiny. When he heard them enter the boy's grey eyes glanced up with weariness. Giving them a weak smile, he stood along with his companion. The old man stepped forward and held out his hand to Gai. "I'm so glad that you've finally arrived!"

Gai grabbed hold of his hand and gave him a flashy grin. "No need to worry! Team Gai is here and ready to go!"

The man gave a relieved laugh. "Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself, I'm Sano and this is my son, Hagane. He's the one you'll be escorting."

Hagane chuckled and came forward. "Escorting is a bit harsh don't you think? I prefer the term assisting." He shook hands with Gai. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Why don't you come with us to get some food? It won't be much because we're low on supplies right now."

His father cut in. "I hope you don't mind, but our village's supplies are really strained at the moment because of the war. As you can see, we can't spare anyone right now; we don't even have enough people to protect my son. We're not a very strong shinobi village, so this war has been a very difficult one."

Gai shook his head in understanding. "That isn't a problem. I would just like to let my team rest before we leave. I want my team to be at full power. "

The king nodded. "Of course; I want my son as protected as possible if things should go awry."

Break-

They set out at sunrise. But not before Hagane was given a complete makeover. He was definitely not happy with it, but he would have to deal if he wanted to survive. His once waist length hair was now cropped to just below his shoulders. His face was touched with makeup, his features softened and almost girlish looking. His complete armor suit was traded in for a pair of black pants, a long sleeve mesh shirt, chest armor, and a black vest; yup, definitely not his style. Tenten had reassured him and told him not to worry; he still looked manly, only making him blush fiercely.

The first few days passed uneventfully. They were in Fire Country territory after all and not worried about being attacked. The only really interesting thing was Naruto's constant babbles about this and that. He never seemed to cease speaking, much to Team Gai's annoyance. Hagane however, was fascinated with Naruto and his stories about training. Their societies varied greatly, and so did the way they trained. By the time they reached the Lightning Country, Team Gai was ready to murder Naruto. The amount of time they'd spent with him was quite enough.

They reached Arashigakure in two weeks. Once they arrived they were quite happy to be done and over with the mission. No one had attacked them; there were actually no problems whatsoever. Unfortunately for them though, they found out two things once they had reached the village. One: they had to stay the week and a half till the wedding was complete, being Hagane's bodyguards till the I-do. Two: once the wedding was over, they had to guide the reinforcement's to Kawagakure; Hagane was, after all, staying in town with his bride for the first month. Team Gai could only sigh while Naruto grinned and cackled in the background.


	7. Ch6 what the hell?

Author's Note: And here we are, back to Gaara. Woo! The drama commences! Yes, there is a sappy part at the end. Deal. Oh, and I'm trying with all my might (if any of you should comment on this) to keep Gaara in character while adding pregnancy hormones. It's very difficult because I don't want to completely make him the 'oh, dearest me, I must cry at everything!' but yet I want to add in emotional change. So, I pray that I've at least accomplished that.

By the middle of the second month, the sand siblings realized something was odd about Gaara's pregnancy. Not that a boy being pregnant wasn't odd enough, but Gaara for some reason seemed to be having extreme pregnancy symptoms. He was throwing up about every ten minutes, he was taking frequent naps (which Shukaku seemed to not want to interrupt), he was eating out the entire house (almost starving the other members of the household), he had almost destroyed the house once in a rage (at Kankuro no less); but the strangest thing wasn't that he was having such extreme morning sickness that Kankuro had almost no more clothes left, or that he slept half the day. The strangest thing of all was the fact that he was gaining weight at an alarming rate. In fact, by the end of the sixth week, he had already gained fifteen pounds.

Kankuro and Temari were extremely worried about their younger brother. With all the symptoms and the weight gain, the older siblings were extremely afraid someone would find out their brother's secret. The village still feared Shukaku. They still wished that he was gone. People still tried to kill him. And no one, absolutely no one, in Suna would want Gaara to have children; not while still connected with Shukaku anyways. They would _never_ accept the child Gaara was going to bear. This created a load of problems for them when missions came up. Temari ended up taking most missions alone now while Kankuro stayed home and 'protected' Gaara. Well, kept him from leaving the house (most of the time). They needed a plan and fast. At some point they'd have to leave or risk exposing Gaara. But who would help them? Where could they go? Most importantly, when?

Break-

Gaara was not the happiest of people right now. His mouth constantly tasted of puke, he was hungry all the time, and the weight gain was becoming noticeable. At only 5'4" and originally weighing about 115 pounds, the extra fifteen pounds were doing nothing for his figure. He mostly stayed in the house with Kankuro, making his brother run to the store every five minutes because of a new craving. On the outside he was having a great time ordering his brother around, on the inside he was seething with anger at what his body was doing to him. And then, one night, while they thought he was asleep, Gaara overheard his siblings talking about him. It was a conversation he would have preferred never to hear…

Two days ago (kitchen)-

Temari and Kankuro were sitting down at the kitchen table, talking in hushed voices. Gaara wasn't in the mood for his siblings flocking all over him, so he sat down against the wall closest to the kitchen door, listening in.

"Kankuro, you can't tell me you haven't noticed."

"But I thought all women got fat and gained weight when they're pregnant."

"No shit? This isn't _normal_ though Kankuro. When women carry children they don't start showing till three and a half to four months into the pregnancy."

"That means what exactly?"

"Alright, let me break it down for you, dumb-ass. Women usually gain about five pounds in the first three months. Gaara is not even three months but has already gained fifteen pounds. The only woman I've ever met that gained that much weight had a long difficult pregnancy. In the end, when she actually gave birth, she didn't just have _one_ baby; she had _three_. Now I don't know if that's the case with Gaara or not. But this is extremely dangerous. Multiple births are tricky and I'm not sure Gaara is up to the task of raising more then one kid on his own."

Kankuro swore under his breath. Shaking his head Kankuro looked up at her. "What do we do then?"

"We ask Gaara and see if he'll talk to Shukaku about it. If he's carrying more then one kid we're going to have to leave sooner then we expected. People are going to notice quicker; Gaara _will_ be found out. We can't know till we ask though, so let's wait and see. We won't make any permanent arrangements until we're certain."

Gaara fled. He vanished to the roof top where he sat in silence. How could this be happening? He could barely wrap his mind around the thought of having one child, but two, maybe three?

Confused, lost in thought, Gaara failed to notice the shadow, the swell of darkness that vanished around the corner of his house, the silhouette that gave a malicious smile while running into the nighttime mist.

Present time (around 2 and ½ months)-

Kankuro and Temari had finally worked up the courage to ask Gaara about talking to Shukaku. They sat down in the family room where Gaara was sitting on the couch, a faraway look in his eye, and half of a peach shoved into his mouth. The two sand-ninjas sat down and looked at their brother. Kankuro cleared his throat. Gaara looked up at them with a questioning stare and set his peach down. Temari was the one who broke the silence. "Gaara. I know we have no right to ask this and that you don't like talking to him, but we have a question we'd like to ask. You see," Temari looked him straight in the face, "we think you might be carrying more then one baby and we want you to ask Shukaku if that's true."

Gaara stared at her before standing up. He seemed uncharacteristically frustrated as he closed his eyes and turned inward. 'Shukaku.'

'Yes, my pet?'

'How many babies am I carrying?'

'Wow, that was the most straightforward you've been with me for a while, without yelling anyways.'

Frustrated tears welled up in Gaara's eyes. 'Just answer the question.'

'These babies _are _partially mine; our connection you know. So, more similar to a raccoon, you are indeed carrying three.'

Gaara had reached the final straw. He didn't want children. He especially didn't want Shukaku's children. He wanted all of his problems to just _go away_. Out loud he shrieked, "It's not fair! I've had enough!"

He grabbed hold of a knife he was carrying on his hip and in one smooth motion swung it down at his stomach. Two things happened simultaneously. Gaara's sand whacked the knife roughly out of his hand and Temari leaped across the room, latching onto his stomach, protecting his babies with her body.

Gaara looked down at her. "Why did you try to stop me? This would solve all our problems. I wouldn't be pregnant anymore and you two could go on with your lives."

Strangely though, when Temari lifted her face, she was crying. "I'm so sorry Gaara. I'm sorry this had to happen to you. But please, don't throw your babies lives away. I know it's not fair and I know it's not right that you have to give birth to children you never wanted. But, please, don't become like father. Please don't ever become like him. You don't deserve that. Your babies don't deserve that. Please." Her last word came out in a choked sob. Tears streaming down her cheeks, Temari buried her face against Gaara's stomach.

Kankuro stood up and looked at his sister and brother. Both were crying and Kankuro couldn't help but go to them. All three kids had forever been haunted by their father's cruelness. But today, today was the first day any of them had ever mentioned it. Kankuro went over and hugged his two siblings; the very first time the three of them had ever hugged.


	8. Ch7 hidden truth

Author's Note: I am terribly sorry that this chapter took so long to get up. I actually posted it on sunday. I even have one review from the chapter in my email inbox! But...with all the problems Fanfiction is going through right now, my chapter only stayed loaded (for viewing) for a day. So now I'm reposting. I am terribly sorry for the wait! So anyways, this chapter is back to Lee and his team. So now you'll be able to see the event that I was setting up with the last Lee chapter. And for all of those that are bigger fans of the Gaara chapters, no need to fret, the next one is already written and edited. I'll be posting that one in a couple of days:) Oh, and one tiny disclaimer- one of the lines Tenten says is taken from the movie IceAge. I do not own it.

Team Gai and Naruto left Kawagakure with no slip ups and no worries. Everyone was tired and annoyed and wanted to just relax. Gai, sensing his team's tension, offered to treat them to a warm meal at the next village. All in the party agreed, ready to be off their feet. Once they reached town, the team looked for the nearest restaurant and finally sat down with a sigh. Gai told them to order whatever they wanted and to have a nice meal. While they ate, he went and looked for a hotel to stay for the night, where he yet again offered to pay. No one refused.

Sitting around the table the four ninjas sat in silence for the first time since leaving Konoha. It had already been a month since they'd left and all of them were ready to get home. Even Naruto, who was usually bouncing off the walls, was oddly quiet. But finally, when it seemed like dead corpses had taken their places, Tenten spoke. "So, Lee; you been thinking about telling us your mystery lover yet?" Even though it was said in a quiet tone, everyone around the table perked up at the question, curiosity taking over. "You haven't talked about it since the day at the restaurant and I think all of us want an update on the relationship."

Lee looked up and wearily smiled at her. "I haven't seen him since that night. He lives in a different village after all. It's not like I've really had the chance."

Tenten smirked. She _knew_ she had heard him falter the last time. She just _knew _it. Neji, who hadn't wanted to think about it before realized the slip up. Naruto just gave him a questioning look. 'He?'

Tenten perked right up and leaned across the table towards him. "Oh, so _he_ lives in a different village huh? Which one? Is it one in the Fire Country?"

"No, not in the Fire Country, he lives…uh…did you just say he? Wait? No!" He thought to himself 'I cannot disappoint Gai-sensei!' "It was not a he! He, no, _she_, lives in a completely different country."

Neji sighed, Naruto stared, and Tenten grinned. "I _knew _it. Lee, you can't deny it. You slept with a guy. You gave yourself away the minute you stuttered back home about the she thing. You're gay aren't you?"

Lee's face turned a bright flaming red. "No, I'm, just, umm, err, bi is all."

Tenten laughed at his embarrassment. Neji kept shaking his head, he knew Lee had to at least be bi, if not completely gay, from the moment he met him. Naruto pointed a finger at him in shock. "Fuzzy-brows, you're bi? You slept with a guy? Whoa, wait, who the hell _did _you sleep with? Is it someone we know? Who else is GAY around here that I don't know about?"

People around them were starting to glance in their direction. Naruto was being awfully loud for the size of the restaurant. Neji glared at him. "If you don't shut up, we might not find out." Although he didn't say it, Neji was curious too.

Tenten looked at blushing Lee. "Oh come on, we're your teammates! You have to tell us! It's not like we're going to laugh or anything. We already know that you're bi. There's nothing that can be more shocking then that."

Lee looked up at her. "Well, I uh, guess I can tell you guys, as long as you don't go spreading it around. I don't think he'd appreciate it very much."

"Fine, fine, yeah, sure, whatever. Just tell us!"

"Alright, I'll tell you. I, uh, slept with…he uh, lives in Suna, and he has…"

"Yes? Yes?"

"I slept with Gaara."

His teammate's eyes just about popped out of their heads. Naruto yelled out, "You slept with _him_? Mister, I control all sand? Mister, I have killed the amount of people that live in my village? MISTER, I LIVE CONNECTED TO SHUKAKU?"

People in the bar turned to look at them. They didn't really catch what the boy was saying, but the way he was standing up and yelling made everyone _want_ to know. Neji reached up and pulled Naruto down. "Shut up! You want everyone all the way at Konoha to hear you? Now, what are you talking about? Who is Shukaku?"

Naruto gulped. "Crap, I wasn't supposed to say anything about that."

Neji glared at him. "You have to tell us. If this is something that might threaten Lee we need to know. I don't want to lose my life because Lee stupidly slept with someone."

Lee stood up. "It was a moment of shared youthful passion!"

Tenten grabbed him. "Sit down and shut up! I want to hear this."

"Hmm, well, I'm not sure I should tell you…" He gave them a grin. "After all, it's not like it's any of your guy's business…"

Tenten seized the front of his jacket and shook him. "Oh, no you don't! You are going to tell us right now!"

"Why should I?"

"Because it might affect all of us, because you will end the conversation you started, and because I will **pummel** you if you don't!"

Naruto gave a nervous smile. "Fine, I'll tell you. But this doesn't leave the four of us okay? When I fought Gaara, in an attempt to beat me, he released Shukaku. Shukaku is a sand demon, sealed within Gaara. It has one tail, and a really bad mean streak. In fact, did you know that Gaara never sleeps because of Shukaku? When he sleeps, the demon takes over and eats away at his personality. It's very creepy. And it's very dangerous." Naruto shuddered at the memory of his battle.

Everyone was silenced by this. All were too shocked to think about anything else except what could have happened to Lee if Shukaku had come out while he slept. He'd have been dead…

Lee stood and pounded his hand on the table. "None of this matters to me! We shared one moment. As I said, it was an explosion of our youth, an exploration of mutual passion, and I will not let that one day haunt me! It was a beautiful memory and that's the end of that!" He sat down with a 'thud' into his chair.

His teammates shook their heads while Naruto just stared at him blankly. Neji groaned. "Alright Lee, whatever, just make sure that you talk to him the next time you see him. Make sure he isn't mad at you for making him bleed. Remember that time at the Chuunin exams?"

"He's changed since then! He saved me! We _shook hands_! I don't think he would do anything to harm me!"

"Okay Lee, just don't be too trusting. You tend to do that a lot." Tenten laughed at this and hugged Lee.

Tenten ruffled his hair and grinned. "One of these days Lee, I swear, you're going to dig yourself into a ditch so deep we won't be able to save you!" Everyone laughed while Lee's face turned a bright tomato red.


	9. Ch8 getting to Konoha

Author's Note: Alrighty, so things to look out for in upcoming chapters: the next couple chapters is a mix between the sand sibs and some other characters that haven't really had a part so far in the story. I apologize to all the Rock Lee fans, but as of right now, there is nothing going on in his part that is important to the plot in any way shape or form. Unless of course you guys want another filler chapter...ugh...please don't make me do that...I'd much rather not. Other then that I don't have much to say. See you all next chapter!

The plans for leaving Suna were more difficult then any of the sand siblings would have thought. Gaara had finally agreed with his brother and sister that something needed to be done. So the three of them talked about it and agreed; they needed a mission that would take as much time as possible, and they needed it to be in Konoha. Konoha was the best place they could think of to hide. It had a lot of people many which didn't know them. They could get Gaara new clothes without arousing suspicion. And Tsunade, the best med-nin ever known, also happened to reside there (should anything with the pregnancy go wrong).

They requested their mission to their sensei and he was immediately curious as to why. Temari had explained that they were sick of being cooped up in Suna and they wanted a vacation. He'd been suspicious at first but had finally agreed that he'd submit a request form for the team. Stage one was complete.

The next hardest thing was hiding Gaara. They had to wait for the mission they needed and the long period of time was not helping. It was apparent in everything he did. Gaara was stone-dead tired and he still was constantly getting sick. He tried to hide it as best he could; he refused to accept defeat against anything as simple as pregnancy. But beat him it did. By the time the mid-way mark of month three came around, Gaara's weight was consistent with that of a whale (or at least that's how he felt). He had gained another eight pounds and counting. He could no longer leave the house.

His stomach was starting to show (a lot) and his clothes could no longer hide the weight gain. Not to mention he just about killed any breathing creature within a five foot radius. Kankuro wished at times that he could just slide Gaara's food to him with a pole; a really long, long, _long _pole.

It was nearing the end of the third week when they got the news. They'd finally gotten a month long mission to Konoha. They wished it would have been longer, but it would do. It at least gave them more time to try to figure out a way around this.

They left that night by the ink of the new moon. Gaara was wrapped up in a heavy cloak, hiding him from any passersby who caught a glimpse of them. Kankuro and Temari smuggled Gaara out of Suna and headed towards Konoha, finally relieved of the anxiety they'd been feeling.

Break-

"Oh, come _on_ Gaara! This is the third time you've stopped in the past hour! At this rate it'll take us a _month_ to get to Konoha!" Kankuro was yelling at the bush where his pregnant brother had disappeared. When he didn't receive an answer, he threw his hands up in the air. "Fine, you know what? I give up!"

Temari gave a deep chuckle. "It's your fault. If you hadn't pampered him so much back in Suna, maybe he wouldn't feel the need to act the princess."

"Pamper? Fine, you clean five loads of nasty, puked on clothes, and I'll go fucking fight some bitches."

"You never had to agree to be the home sitter you know."

He gave her a cold stare. "Yes, I would much rather have felt the weight of your God damn fan on my head!"

"Can you both shut the fuck up? You're giving me a headache." Gaara stepped out into the clearing rubbing his temples.

"Are you good to go Gaara?" Kankuro asked him in a somewhat peeved, yet concerned voice. Temari got Kankuro's attention and mouthed, 'Pampered!' His fist clenched and he felt an instant need to strangle his sister.

"Let's go." Gaara took off without another word, forcing his siblings to follow.

"So Gaara, what was so important that you had to stop us?" Kankuro asked with a sarcastic lilt.

"I had to go to the bathroom." He replied, emotionless.

"And the time before that?" Kankuro was getting irritated.

"I had to puke."

"And the time before that?" Kankuro asked, almost screaming.

"I was hungry."

"Oh, you have to be _fucking kidding me_!" Kankuro almost fell from the trees as he narrowly missed a thick branch.

Temari looked at her brother. "Now look what you've done you dumb-fuck! You've gone and spoiled him!"

"Don't blame me! You'd have bought the little shit anything he wanted too if you'd been dodging sand and punches and…ugh…tears."

"He cried? Whoa, when did this happen?"

Gaara glowered at them. "If you two don't stop talking right now, I'll make sure you regret every word you've just said."

They both quieted and followed in hot pursuit of their brother who seemed to be running with an odd boost of energy. It took them a week to get to Konoha. A large difference from the usual three day excursion it's supposed to be. Although it was beneficial for Kankuro and Temari; the fresh air and the exercise seemed to be helping a lot with his moodiness and morning sickness. By the time they reached the hotel though, Gaara was all worn out. He curled up on the nearest bed and protectively wrapped his arms around his extended belly. With a small sigh, Gaara was out like a light.

Kankuro and Temari still couldn't believe how Shukaku was acting about this whole situation. They started to suspect something was up the first couple times Gaara went to sleep. Shukaku always would take over when he fell asleep before. Why was this time any different? Hell, he should be trying it more not less since Gaara was in a weakened state. What was Shukaku up to? What did he gain from this? He must gain something huge if he's being kind enough to never disturb Gaara's sleep. And it was because of things like this that made them constantly worry, made them constantly fear for Gaara's life and that of his babies. It was times like this, while they worried, that Temari and Kankuro really wanted to find and _kill_ the bastard who did this to their little brother…


	10. Ch9 Gaara's rage

Author's Note: So, have you guys missed me? I'm sure some of you are frustrated to the point of violence by the long span, but I couldn't upload yesterday; stuff came up. So, other characters finally reappear! Yay! I don't really have much to say about this chapter. So, I guess I'll see you all next time!

The siblings had been in Konoha a week before Gaara was allowed out. He was extremely irritable being locked up for a week straight, considering his siblings had to go out and work a good portion of the day, leaving him alone. By the time he left he was twitching with impatience. But it was necessary. It did after all take a week to get Gaara's newest clothes. First they had to find a seamstress. Then they had to give her Gaara's measurements. Then they had to wait for her to make the two new sets of clothes. But it was all worth it. The clothes sufficiently hid his now extra 30 pounds. Those who knew him well would still be able to tell that he looked different; who wouldn't? His cheeks were round and flushed and his body was filled out (_way out_). But at least they wouldn't notice his stomach, unless of course they spent time examining it.

Gaara felt ten times better once dressed in his new, breathable clothes. Placing a protective hand on his stomach, Gaara walked out into the fresh night air, ready for the biggest meal of his life. He was starving.

The three sat down in a decent sized restaurant; in the corner of course where they'd attract less attention. Unbeknownst to them though, a rowdy group of Konoha shinobi were sitting right across the way from them, hidden from their vision…

Break-

The group of the guys had all somehow showed up at the same restaurant. This consisted of Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Shino, an interesting group to say the least. They all sat around talking about random shit going on in their lives. Naruto and his failed attempts at winning over Sakura. Neji and his uncle pressuring him into finding a suitable girl among a list _he'd_ chosen. Shikamaru with Ino constantly on his back about being lazy and carrying his load. Kiba and his fights with his mother, who insisted that he was gay and needed to admit it to her and his father. Shino and…umm…well…ok, so maybe not all of them talked.

In the midst of their conversation, they heard the door of the restaurant open, not paying any mind of who might be entering. That is until Kiba spoke up. His nose was twitching as looked over into the far corner of the restaurant. "Hey, aren't those the sand siblings?"

Everyone instantly looked in the direction. Naruto smirked and Neji sighed, still recalling Lee's confession a while back. It was then that Naruto, being as he was, pointed out an obvious fact with a dropped jaw. "Damn, Gaara looks fat!"

Kiba looked at him and replied, "You're right. Just how much weight did he gain anyways?"

Shikamaru's eyes were drawn to Gaara before he said, "Yeah, you're right. I knew he'd gotten bigger since the Chunnin exams, but this is just weird."

Neji spoke with arousing suspicion, "This is really strange. When Lee talked about his last encounter with him, he never mentioned anything about Gaara getting, well, chubby."

They all contemplated this while coming up with the strangest and wildest theories. Neji however was worried. Lee had mentioned all the blood once before. Was Gaara just taking that one night experience badly? Was he gaining weight out of depression? What was going on?

A waiter walked over to the sand-ninja's table. In a split second, the plate being placed in front of Gaara smashed onto the floor. Pieces flew everywhere and Temari and Kankuro gasped. Gaara brought his free hand up to his mouth and abruptly stood up. Looking like he was about to vomit yet still managing to glare, Gaara disappeared in a whirl of sand. Kankuro wiped an irritated hand down his face while Temari rubbed at her temples.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto said, mouthing everyone's question.

Break-

Kankuro sighed and stood up. "I'll go find him."

Temari nodded as Kankuro walked out the door, hands in his pockets. The waiter walked back over to the table. He questioned, "Is he alright?"

Temari chuckled. "I should be asking you that. I'm very sorry for the trouble we've caused."

"Not at all. This isn't the first time a plate's been broken around here."

Temari looked down at her dinner and then glanced up at the waiter. "Do you think I could get this in a to-go box?"

He grinned. "Why certainly madam."

Break-

The group watched in astonishment. Temari calmly stood with her doggy-bag and strode quickly towards the door. She didn't notice them as she left, nearly at a run now. Everyone in the group was curious and somewhat worried for the sand-nins. Okay, more curious then anything. They all agreed and stood up to follow her, throwing down their money on the table.

Kiba quickly caught Temari's scent and the group followed close behind her. They went on like this for a good bit before they found themselves climbing over the wall of the city and running into the woods. They slowed as the heard the inevitable sounds of battle. Creeping up as close and they could, the boys stopped. The group hid behind a cluster of trees and gazed out into the clearing, completely shocked by what they heard and saw.

Break-

Gaara was livid. He didn't even understand why. He was frustrated and his back hurt and he was tired of puking. What better way to get rid of his anger then fighting? He reached out a hand; left then right. His sand followed Kankuro. He wanted to _hurt_ something. Whether it was a relative or not, Gaara felt Shukaku's buried blood lust begin to rise up in him.

Kankuro jumped, dodged, ran. He would occasionally throw kunai, trying to distract Gaara. If he didn't, the sand would get him. He could feel the sand steadily getting closer and closer. Hear the whip and rush of wind pass by in the small empty space between sand and body. Although running with all his might, the sand eventually caught up to Kankuro. Gripping his ankle, the sand smacked him down into the dirt. Blood gushed from his lips and spattered onto the ground. He could hear a hiss escape Gaara's lips at the display. His senses heightened for a spilt second, but to him, that second felt like an eternity. He could feel death's icy hands in the cool air of night.


	11. Ch10 the bet

Author's Note: It has come to my attention that some of you may question why I'm portraying Gaara the way I am in this fic. I knew I'd eventually have to explain so I guess now is as perfect time as any. I have two reasons why I am portraying Gaara the way I am. Reason one: obviously, the fact that he's pregnant. I'm actually using the pregnancy and its hormones to bring out aspects of Gaara's character that I believe have been there all along (this will come out more in later chapters, especially 13, so look out for that:). Reason two: this fic takes place after the battle with Naruto and after the fight with Kimimaro. Between the time he fights with Naruto and up until the point where he becomes Kazekage, Gaara has this _huge_ transitioning period (you can also see the change if you watch the second Naruto movie). I'm not saying he's become some sappy woman, but he does however change a lot, and I am trying my hardest to portray that aspect, that changing period, as best I can without altering Gaara's character too much. It's actually kinda funny though, cause I have found that this transition period is the hardest point in Gaara's life to write about. Curse him! Anyways, if anyone has any questions about the story or why I write what I do, just ask, I'll tell you to the best of my abilities. Whew, that was long. And now on with the chapter! Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to Shikamaru's genius. Yay Shikamaru!

Everyone felt the icy breath of fear as they watched in frozen horror. Temari was sprinting towards Kankuro, hoping to get there before the sand; a futile attempt. "No, Gaara! Stop!"

They thought it was the end of Kankuro… But, in an odd twist of events, the sand fell back down to the earth. Gaara hunched over, clutching at his stomach, and moaning. Temari changed directions in a split second and started towards Gaara. Kankuro collapsed back onto the ground, muttering. Everyone in the bushes heaved a sigh of relief, glad that no one had died.

Break-

Temari sprinted over to Gaara's side. "Oh fuck! Gaara! Gaara, what's wrong?" He looked up at her with a confused expression. "Gaara?"

"They kicked me."

Temari stared at him, taking a few moments to realize what he had said. "They kic…oh wow. This is…a big step here. Are they still…you know?" Gaara nodded. Rubbing his stomach, Gaara clenched his teeth against the pain. "Can I…umm…can I feel?"

Temari hopped up and down like a giddy girl, excited at the newest evolution in the pregnancy. Strangely calm, Gaara rubbed a few more times before giving a strained, "Yes."

She stepped over to him and reached out a shaking hand. Moving his out of the way, Gaara allowed her to place her hand gently on his stomach, while the little bundle within had a kicking fest. She was in awe. She'd never felt this before. Her mother had never given her the chance. When Kankuro was born, she was too young to comprehend the situation. And when she was pregnant with Gaara her mother was so embittered by the whole Shukaku thing that she paid little attention to any of her children. This was a first for Temari.

With her hand still on Gaara's belly, Temari called out to Kankuro, "Kankuro! Get your ass over here and feel this!"

Sighing, Kankuro stood up. "Alright, I'm coming." With a huff he walked over to his siblings, wiping at the blood running out of the corner of his mouth.

Temari looked at Gaara's face while grabbing Kankuro's hand. "Is it alright?"

His breath came out in a rush. "Yes."

Temari led Kankuro's hand and placed it on Gaara's belly. "You feel that Kankuro?"

Squirming a bit and with a look of surprise on his face, Kankuro smiled. "Yeah."

"You can both take your hands away at _any_ time." Gaara was starting to fidget.

They both quickly drew back their hands. Temari flashed a smile. "Oh, right. Sorry."

When the kicking stopped, Gaara felt a wave of exhaustion. He didn't realize just how tired he was until that moment. He must have used too much energy fighting his brother. With wide eyes, he tried to keep awake. But it was futile, and Gaara soon found himself welcoming the bliss of darkness.

Break-

"I bet its worms!" Naruto yelled.

Everyone turned and looked at him. "Worms?" said a disbelieving Shino.

Kiba butted in, "Oh, I know, I know! What if they're using him for some sort of experiment? Like they used his body to breed some new freaky creature."

Neji glared at Kiba. "Umm…Gaara is _male_; that could never happen. Besides, you can't breed a different species of animal within a human body. It wouldn't accept it. Whatever it is would die."

Shikamaru continued to ignore their argument. He sat down on the ground and held his hands together in a circle. Closing his eyes, Shikamaru took a deep breath and ignored all other sounds, trying to figure out the link.

Weight…eating…nausea…rage…four months…Lee…Shukaku…and then 'BAM'; the thought blew up in his head. He knew what his thinking led him to. He himself could barely even believe what his inner thoughts told him. Although illogical, it somehow rang true in Shikamaru's head. He let his hands fall to the ground next to him and opened his eyes. Everyone was staring at him.

Naruto gazed at him excitedly. "Well? What do you think Shikamaru? You were doing that weird hand thing again. What's wrong with Gaara? Come on, tell us!"

Shikamaru groaned. "Do you ever stop talking?"

Kiba cut in before an angered Naruto could answer. "Come on Shikamaru! We know you know something!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Do you really want to know?"

Naruto yelled out, "Yes!"

"Well," Shikamaru began, sitting back on his hands, "I was thinking about everything we know about Gaara and his condition. I could only come out with one possible solution though. It's completely crazy. But it's the only one I got."

Kiba pounded his hand down on the ground. "Just get on with it!"

"Gaara, my friends, is pregnant."

The boys around him began laughing with such fervor he thought they'd suffocate themselves. Kiba managed out between snorts, "That's a good one! Now really, what was it that you came up with?"

Shikamaru clenched his teeth. "God this is troublesome. Would all of you be quiet for a minute?"

The laughing eventually died down to a couple chuckles. Neji gave him a somewhat annoyed look. "Really Shikamaru, what is it that you came up with?"

Shikamaru glared. "I already told you." Everyone fell silent. "Fine, don't believe me? How much you want to bet?"

Neji scoffed. "Alright you're on; 5,000 yen."

"I'm not usually one to gamble, but I'm also in." Shino calmly said from his spot.

Naruto jumped up and pointed his finger at Shikamaru. "You're pulling my leg again! I am _so_ in!"

Kiba looked a bit out of it. The last time he'd bet against Shikamaru, he'd lost horribly. Now he barely had any money left at all. Kiba didn't feel like losing all his money…again. He chuckled nervously and looked at Shikamaru. "I-I'm with Shikamaru on this one."

Naruto looked wide eyed at him. "WHAT?"

Kiba shook his head as he stood. "Is not like I don't want to, but I don't have the money to lose another bet."

Naruto shrugged. "Suit yourself." He looked away before muttering, "Coward…"

Shikamaru smirked. "Alright then, I'll see you all here, at the same spot, Thursday at six o'clock. That means you have four days to bring me back proof. That should be sufficient time. Oh, and when you come back, don't forget to bring your coin purses. You're going to need them."

Author's Note: Just so you know, 5000 yen is around $42. The suckers...


	12. Ch11 caught

Author's Note: I'm back! Have you all missed me? Yes, it took me a while to post this chapter, but I've had a busy couple days, so sorry. Alright, I know this is a short chapter. Oh well, it had to be done, I had to get people to where they need to go. Oh, and for all Kankuro/Kiba fans...yay! _See the foreshadowing I send your way...praise me..._lol, jk. See you all next time!

"Gaara, you should go and get some rest. Don't worry about the mission. Kankuro and I are handling it. We'll be back at dinnertime with food. Oh, and take off the flippin' gourd. It's only hurting your back more. See you tonight." With that, Temari walked out the door. Kankuro had left earlier and now Gaara was yet again alone. Not that he minded. He was really quite tired and his back pains were just getting worse with time. A nap sounded like the perfect plan right now…

Break-

Kankuro was heading back to the hotel room to check up on his little brother. Not that he was _worried_. Kankuro, master of the puppets, was not one to worry. He was however, _concerned_. A fact which he had repeatedly corrected Temari about in the past few months. All he was going to do was check up on him, make sure he was resting and leave. See? He was not _worried_ like a little mother hen.

As he neared the inn he noticed a strange movement from the edge of the building. Looking to make sure no one saw him leave the side alleyway, Inuzuka Kiba stepped out onto the street, Akamaru bounding happily at his side. Kankuro narrowed his eyes. 'What the hell is Inuzuka doing here? Is he the reason why I felt like looking behind myself every five freaking minutes this morning?' That morning, while Kankuro was readying for his day, he had felt an odd prickling sensation coming from the window. He could almost swear he felt eyes boring into his back. But when he had turned and looked, nothing was there.

With determined strides Kankuro came up behind the ninja who immediately caught onto his scent. Kiba turned around and managed a, "Kanku-" before he was rammed up against the building by his neck. Kankuro leaned forward, his face a mere two inches away from Kiba's. "What the fuck are you doing snooping around here, dog-boy?"

Akamaru sat next to Kiba's side and barked like wild, while Kiba gulped down his nervousness. "Umm…nothing really. Akamaru and I were just taking a walk." Kiba took a pause. "Not that it's any of your fucking business what I do."

Kankuro smirked and Kiba felt a shiver run down his spine at the look. "_Right_, I see. Then what were you doing outside the window this morning?"

"How did…wait, what the hell are you talking about?"

Kankuro leaned in next to his ear and whispered threateningly, "I know it was you. Don't deny it. We can stand here all day until you tell me. Oh, and don't bother sicking your dog on me. He's already unconscious."

Kiba looked down, shocked to see his little white pup curled into a ball, fast asleep. He snarled at Kankuro and grabbed at the hand around his neck. "Bastard."

"Nice of you to notice. Now tell me just where exactly you're sticking that prying nose of yours?"

"Nowhere; I just heard you guys were in town and I wanted to see if it was true."

Kiba was lying through his teeth, and Kankuro knew it. He let a small breath of air feather Kiba's neck before replying, "Liar."

Kiba was never a good liar. Not under pressure and especially not when he was being distracted by the odd sensation of Kankuro breathing on his neck. "We saw you guys in the forest and Shikamaru came up with this crazy theory as to why Gaara was so fat. I just wanted to see if he was pulling our tails."

"Ours?"

"Neji, Shino, Naruto, and me."

"Really now? So what theory did he come up with?"

Kiba fidgeted against Kankuro's hand, finding it difficult to concentrate. "He said…" Kiba stopped and squirmed some more.

"I'm waiting Inuzuka."

"He said Gaara was…" Kiba sucked in an air of breath. "He said Gaara was pregnant."

"What?" Kankuro felt his heart stop. This could **not** be happening. No way in hell.

"Yeah, pretty stupid huh?"

Kankuro finally looked at him and dropped his hand. "Are you guys by chance meeting up sometime soon?"

"Yeah, Thursday; Shikamaru is collecting on his bet that day."

"Bet?"

Kiba gave a toothy grin. "Yeah, he bet all the others that Gaara was pregnant." Kankuro's eyes narrowed. "Don't look at me like that! I didn't fucking bet with them! I just wanted to know!"

"What time?"

"Huh?"

"What time are you guys meeting?"

"Six. Why?"

"I think we need to clear something up." With that, Kankuro turned around and walked away, his back rigid, and his face set in a scowl.

Kiba mumbled to himself, "It's not that big of a deal. It's only a freaking bet."

Author's Note: For anyone confused with the whole Akamaru thing; Kankuro has about 50 million gas bombs on him if you recall from the show (okay, not 50 million, but a lot anyways). He did not kick the dog or harm it in any way. He just used a clear sleeping gas. Sorry if there was any confusion.


	13. Ch12 truth revealed

Author's Note: Woo! I'm back with the next chapter! Some long lasting things get cleared up this chapter. For soem reason I feel the crowd is cheering this one. Although I will say that things are revealed a bit differently then one might think. Oh, and this chapter is a testament to the fact that although Neji might not say it, he still cares for Lee. Alrighty, so other then that, see all of you next chapter!

The sun cast its dying light on the glade within the woods. The bright light lit upon five boys, all sitting in a circle. The voices used were hushed, almost as if they were afraid of being heard by an unseen foe.

"I can't believe it." one voice mumbled.

"Aw man! You're taking all my cash!" muttered another.

A quiet voice cut in, "Shikamaru, you figured this out with no more hints then being fat and having some anger issues. How did you figure it out? How did this happen? "

Shikamaru blew a hair out of his face and whispered 'troublesome' before starting. "Think about it real hard you guys. Gaara is already quite far along. And what major event happened around four and a half months ago? Lee had sex."

Kiba snarled at him, "But that doesn't explain how Gaara got pregnant! He's still a guy!"

Shikamaru sighed. "All of you know that there are nine tailed demons correct? Okay, well, demons, when sealed within a person have a great influence on that person's body and how they act and grow; depending of course on the demon. So, a demon _could_ manipulate the insides of a person. In Gaara's case, to create a whole new anatomy."

Kiba looked puzzled. "So what, Gaara has a demon…"

"Back at the Chunnin exams, Naruto and I found out that Gaara is connected to-"

Neji came in, "To a one-tailed sand demon. Yeah, yeah, I heard." Kiba and Shino, who hadn't known were quite shocked to hear this. But neither of them were nearly as shocked as the group was when they heard a voice cut across the clearing.

"His name's Shukaku."

The group turned to see a pissed Kankuro and Temari walking out from the tree line. Naruto stood up and pointed a finger at them. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

Kankuro glared and Temari bit out, "Shut up."

Shikamaru calmly looked at them. "This is so troublesome. Really, why are you here?"

Temari took the floor, "After we found out about this little meeting we decided to drop in for two reasons."

Neji spoke up, "Wait, how did you find out? Who told you?"

"That doesn't matter, what does matter is what we have to tell you _boys_. One: we want to warn you that if any of you should say anything about this to anyone, we'll skin you alive and feed your carcasses to the dogs…"

Kiba yelled out an offended, "Hey!"

"And two: we wanted to see if any of you knew who did this to Gaara, but since we know now I'd like to ask you a question. Where is Lee?"

Neji gave them a suspicious look. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, considering what he did he must be punished at some point."

Kankuro looked at her. "But I wanted to kill him."

Temari grinned. "But _I'm_ the oldest and it's my responsibility to take care of stuff like this. So, I get to go first. I promise that if there's anything left you can have him."

Neji jumped up. "What do you mean, _kill_? He didn't do anything wrong!"

Both siblings gave him a death stare. Temari growled, "I think rape is one of the vilest things anyone can do. As of result of his act, my brother spent weeks recovering from a severe wound and now he has to deal with pregnancy. Lee sure as _hell_ deserves punishment!"

"Rape! What the fuck are you talking about! Lee would never do something like that! Your brother agreed to it!"

"You have _got _to be kidding me! Consensual? That's laughable!"

The group erupted into an argument. Naruto had decided to argue in Lee's defense and Kankuro had joined the battle. Their voices got louder and louder until…

"WOULD ALL OF YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP?"

Everyone fell silent. Walking out of the shadows was a very irritated Gaara. He walked over to the group and stared at them all. Temari gave him a worried look. "Gaara you should be resting!" He glowered at her.

"All of you are fucking stupid. Temari, Kankuro, when the hell did I ever say it was consensual or nonconsensual? When did either of you bother to fucking ask? And all the rest of you; yes, Lee hurt me badly, so don't get it in your minds that I had some happy glowing aftermath. You all are fucking delusional. Now, I'm going back to bed and all of you are going to forget this ever happened. None of you are going to mention this to anybody. If you do…I'll kill you and whoever you told." Gaara turned and started walking away.

Neji glared at him and yelled out, "So what? We're just supposed to not tell Lee that you're going to be giving birth to _his_ child?"

Gaara went rigid and turned around. "This is my problem. It's none of his _fucking_ business." With that, Gaara disappeared in a whirl of sand, leaving the others to stand around in an awkward silence.

Break-

Lee had just returned home from a long, excruciating training trip with Gai-sensei. They had trained, talked, laughed, and just had a good time. In fact, Lee even confessed to Gai-sensei about his night spent with Gaara. Gai had just laughed and remarked about how he was finding his youth through the passion of another person…or something like that anyways.

Lee threw himself down on his couch with a soda. He was about to take a sip when he heard three curt knocks. Standing up, he jumped over his couch and into the entranceway. Opening the wooden door, Lee found his teammate standing in the doorway with a hard expression on his face. Looking into Lee's black eyes the boy said, "We need to talk."


	14. Ch13 acceptance

Author's Note: I'd like to explain a few things about this chapter before you read it and send me threatening death letters. Thing one-No, I did not do the Lee reaction scene. Yes, I hear your moans of dissapointment. However, I will give you the reason why I didn't write it: it was _completely_ predictable. Why waste an entire chapter when everyone knows that Lee would freak out/pass out/faint, whatever, then get over it, accept it, want to help, then spend the next couple days thinking about it. There you go, the missing chapter in a nutshell. Alright, Thing two-Yes, Gaara is very hormonal and sappy and just downright sentimental in this chapter. I want you all to realize though that I combined two things here; one: the obvious hormones that help trigger such things, and two: the underlying themes of Gaara's character that you see throughout the books/movies/show (especially later in the books after the two and a half year time gap). Some of you I know might disagree with me on this last point. I stand by what I say though; some of these things I brought out in Gaara's character are quite obvious, other's not so much. The latter being more of my inferences as to what I think Gaara goes through as the series progresses. That's all I have to say. I'd also like to apologize to everyone if I sound defensive. I just don't want any misunderstandings. Thank you all for reading and I'll see you next chapter!

"I still don't think this is a good idea. You should be resting."

Gaara turned and gave her a withering look. "I'm sick of resting. I'm going for a walk. See you at dinner." He slammed the door and walked out and onto the street. He walked with slow strides down the road, a protective hand on his belly. He was glad to finally be out of the room.

Everything had been confusing to Gaara these last couple days. It all seemed surreal. What Neji had said was constantly playing through his mind, constantly nagging him. Whenever he thought about it, it always ended in a round-about argument. He would think about what would happen if he told Lee, but in the end, he would end up right back where he started; it was his problem, there was no need to get Lee involved.

It was times like this that he could swear the hormones were kicking in. Because at times like this, he felt the overwhelming feeling of loneliness that had continually haunted him his entire life. Sure, he had Kankuro and Temari. In fact, it was hard to escape them. Both were extremely overprotective of him and rarely let him out of their sights. Yet those sorts of things were different from the companionship that he ached for. He felt safe with his siblings. He didn't however, feel what he desired the most…love. Love that was just for him. Love that he knew was unconditional. Love that would make him smile, a real big smile for the very first time. He'd learned something valuable from Naruto that day they fought in the woods. But the end result had been a double-edged sword…he now felt the loneliness more then ever.

Although he felt like this, he'd never admit it to anyone. Not even to Kankuro. Since the fight, and especially now with the pregnancy, Gaara and Kankuro had become a lot closer. I mean, who else other then a brother would stay at your side after you'd tried to kill him…twice? But still, Gaara felt uncomfortable about revealing his inner feelings.

Gaara continued walking, his head downcast and both arms now wrapped around his middle. A thought passed through Gaara's head and he gave the smallest of smiles. No, he wasn't completely alone. He had his babies. They relied on him. They were a part of him. They were special. They weren't even supposed to exist. Yet here he was, Gaara, one who had never understood love, bringing forth brand new life into the world. When he thought about them a strange emotion swept over him. An emotion of happiness, giddiness, anxiousness. Was this love? Gaara wasn't sure. What he did know was that he wanted these kids. He wanted to do the best he could. Maybe if he did…maybe they wouldn't end up like he had.

When Gaara looked up again, he was at the edge of a small wood. A small trail wound through it. With nothing better to do, Gaara started down the path. Besides, he'd heard exercise was good for one in his condition…

By the time he reached the training ground, his back was _killing_ him. In a tired, sweaty lump, Gaara sat down, leaning against a tree. Kneading his back, Gaara looked into the clearing through the brush. There was a training stump in the center, sweat and blood staining its white pad. To Gaara's surprise and dismay though, the three members of Team Gai were in the midst of training. A sense of panic clouded Gaara's mind. He hadn't noticed the team before he'd _looked_, which in and of itself was shocking. Second, he'd left his gourd back at the hotel. The comforting weight of the gourd had only been hurting his back more. So he'd left it, insisting he'd be fine. Although now he wished he had its reassuring presence, for Gaara hated to be unprotected.

In a frenzy, Gaara stood up, hoping not to attract any attention. But his hopes were useless. His body rejected the speed at which he stood and a wave of dizziness followed. Gaara fell to his knees, shaking and holding his hands over his mouth. The most violent bout of nausea he'd ever felt hit Gaara with the strength of twenty shinobi. He managed only to take one crawling pace forward to a bush before he threw up everything he'd ever eaten (at least that's how it felt). It kept on coming for what seemed like hours until only bile was left. But still, Gaara felt himself dry heaving. He spit out saliva, and to his shock, blood sprinkled the ground.

"Oh my GOD! Are you okay? Gaara! Speak to me!" Heaving, a small line of blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth, Gaara turned to find a worried Lee. Neji stood on his right, a cold expression on his face. And Tenten stood at his left, a look of shock marring her features. Lee knelt next to Gaara and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital? Is the baby alright?"

Gaara, still recovering, and unable to speak, looked at Lee with wide eyes. Lee knew about the pregnancy? When did he find out? Who blabbed? _Neji_. Gaara narrowed his eyes at the emotionless boy before a thought struck him; Lee was okay with this. Even though this pregnancy only happened because of Shukaku he was fine with it. Even though Gaara still had Shukaku in him, Lee was still okay. Why wasn't he running? Why wasn't he afraid? Scorn, pity, fear, those were all emotions Gaara had dealt with. But never, had he received just open acceptance. It brought back memories of that day. The day that changed Gaara's life forever…

Flashback-

"_Friends?"_

"_Yeah," Lee gave him a smile, "you know; people you hang out with and share your secrets with, people you trust and respect."_

_Gaara looked down at upturned palms. "I've never had a friend before." _

_Using his hands, Lee pushed himself up. "What do you mean? You can't tell me that you've seriously never had a friend before."_

_Gaara didn't look up as images from his childhood slid through his mind like a never-ending movie. "Everyone I've ever met, everyone I've ever known, look at me with fear. I have no friends. I have no true companions."_

_Lee made a fist with his hand before sticking it out towards Gaara. "Fine! Then I'll be your first friend! The happiness and vitality of youth shall not be taken by the ignorance of cowards!"_

End Flashback-

"Gaara?" Something within him snapped. The flood gates opened and soon tears were rolling down Gaara's pink cheeks. Lee, seeing Gaara's tears, went into freak out mode. "Gaara, what's wrong? Don't cry! Your youth should not be wasted with such things!"

Gaara only cried harder. Tenten grabbed Neji and started heading away, mumbling something about hormones and all that. Once gone, Gaara grabbed onto Lee's biceps and dug his face into his chest; sobbing out all the pain, all the loneliness. Lee did the only thing he could do. He wrapped his arms around Gaara's quivering form and held on tight, letting the boy cry.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Gaara settled down, his sobs fading into hiccups. Rubbing his back, Lee gave Gaara a warm smile. Gaara wrapped his arms around Lee and sighed, cuddling into the warmth. Lee didn't want to break the moment, but eventually he couldn't hold it in anymore; he had to ask. "Gaara, can I ask you a question?" Gaara nodded but didn't let go. "I know it's still far off and I know you might not want to, but I'd really like to work something out with you. I want to be apart of my child's life. I also want you to be a part of it. This baby is ours and no matter how it came about, I want us to be a family. Besides, we have plenty of time to spend with each other before you decide anything." Lee sounded surprisingly mature and Gaara couldn't help but be drawn to that strength.

Gaara rasped out, "You mean _babies_. I'm pregnant with triplets."

Gaara could almost feel Lee's eyes pop. "Really?" He let out an awed breath. "Wow. I'm going to be a dad…of three."

Gaara felt the edges of sleep converging on him. "If you accept me, if you accept our children, then I wouldn't have a problem if you came with me." This was a big step for Gaara. It was the first time he'd opened up enough and truly included someone else into the pregnancy. It was _their _children. Lee laughed. Before Gaara fell asleep, he had enough breath to utter a single phrase, one that he'd never revealed to anyone, "I don't want to do this alone."

Gaara fell asleep in Lee's arms. Lee smiled sadly at the sleeping form. Just how long had Gaara been holding all of this in? He'd heard the last sentence alright. It only got Lee boosted up more. Gaara had accepted him. Gaara trusted him. Gaara had actually admitted that he wanted help. 'Youth once again prevails!' Lee disengaged Gaara from his front, earning a small growl of protest from the other boy. Adjusting Gaara on his back, Lee stood up. The pregnant boy unconsciously wrapped his arms tighter around Lee's neck and snuggled into his back. Lee grinned all the way to the hotel.


	15. Ch14 hormones

Author's Note: This chapter is basically the reunion of two lovers. I know that sounds corny and cheesy, but oh well. This chapter is short, sweet, and to the point. Have fun and I'll see you next chapter.

When Lee got back to the hotel he asked the land lord which room the siblings were staying in before going and knocking on the hard wood. He heard a few muttered curses from the other side of the door before a weary looking Temari opened it. Her outfit consisted only of a long sleeved blouse that barely reached the top of her thighs. Lee blushed, trying to stare at anything but her. He was quickly forced out of his embarrassed state though, when Temari let out a shrill shriek. "What did you do to him?"

Lee looked at her in a panic. "I didn't do anything! I swear! He was by the training grounds and I heard him collapse and then he started puking and then he passed out and-"

Temari held up her hand with an exasperated sigh. "Just bring him inside." Temari turned on her heel with Lee close behind. They went back to Gaara's room where Lee tried to set Gaara down on the bed. Gaara, however, was reluctant to let go. So Lee sat down with Gaara still behind him and tried to gently remove the arms from around his neck. The arms only tightened more and Temari was forced to bite off a laugh at Lee's discomfort. But then, something worse for Lee happened; Gaara wrapped his legs around his waist and clung on. Temari couldn't help it; she burst out laughing. There was no doubt about it now. Gaara had definitely agreed to the one night stand.

Lee felt as if he would die of embarrassment. Temari just wouldn't stop laughing. In fact, she was laughing so hard that her hands were clutched at her sides while tears leaked out of her eyes. Just when Lee thought things couldn't get worse, the door opened, revealing Kankuro. However, when Kankuro saw the sight on the bed, his right eye began to twitch and a look of horror crossed his face. Kankuro just knew he'd be scarred for life. Lee looked at him aghast. "I-it's not what you think! He was near the training grounds and then he started puking and he fell asleep on me and I couldn't just leave him there and-" Lee was talking faster and faster until Kankuro called out, "Alright, alright! I get it! Quit babbling and tell us exactly what happened."

Lee sighed, releasing the pent up tension. "Well, my team was training and we heard a crash in the brush. We went over to find Gaara puking his guts out. He eventually recovered and looked over his shoulder at us. I kept on asking if he was alright and if everything was fine with the baby. Well, okay, I guess its _babies _but that's beside the point. Then all of a sudden, he just burst out crying. Tenten and Neji left but I stayed. I let him cry and then the two of us talked about…umm…well…" Lee looked down, a bright red staining his cheeks.

Temari gave him a suspicious look. "First off, who told you and two; just _what_ exactly did you guys talk about?"

Lee just blushed harder. "Well, umm, Neji told me because he didn't think it was fair that I didn't know. And I asked Gaara if he…err…if he wanted to start a family with me."

The siblings just stared at him. Kankuro finally choked out, "Are you serious?"

Temari whispered, "What did he say?"

Lee finally looked at them full in the face. He gave them a wide, white grin. "He said if I come with him, then yes."

Both the sand siblings felt their jaws drop. Kankuro repeated himself, "Are you _serious_?"

Temari felt like fainting. "He said _yes_?"

Lee just kept on grinning like a foolish school boy. "It's all due to the power of youth!"

Kankuro smirked. "You realize that this would make us in-laws right?" Kankuro and Temari gave him an evil grin, completely opposite to the shocked looks they had worn only a moment before. Lee gulped.

Break-

When Gaara woke up, he had a slight head-ache and he was _starving_. He quickly changed and walked out of his room, only slightly surprised he was back at the hotel. He walked out to the kitchen area and found a strange sight. His siblings and _Lee_ of all people were sitting around the table talking over a hot cup of tea. Gaara gave him a weird look before the previous events flashed through his mind. Oh God, what had he done?

Lee looked up and saw a disheveled Gaara standing in the doorway. A grin lit his face and he yelled out, "Good morning!"

Both siblings turned to give their brother a smile before going back to their tea. Gaara finally got enough thought process to speak. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you to get up and on your feet! I'm taking you out to lunch! I'm sure the little ones would appreciate your youthful body getting lots of energy!"

Gaara felt an eye twitch. Why again did he agree to this?

Lee stood up and grabbed his hand. "Come on! Let's go!"

Lee dragged a bewildered Gaara out the front door. Nothing like this had ever happened before… "So Gaara, what do you want to eat? Sushi? Ramen?"

Gaara sighed. Well, at least he was getting fed. There was no way in hell he was going to pay for his own meal today. "Someplace with tofu."

"Alrighty then! Off we go!"

Break- (AN-4600 yen is around $39)

An hour and 4600 yen lighter, the couple made their way out of the restaurant. Lee was beginning to see why having children was such a challenge. Gaara hadn't been extremely picky. In fact, he ate about half the food on the menu. Lee had never seen such eating, except maybe from Choji.

They walked together in comfortable silence. And eventually they found themselves walking through the woods, hiking along an empty path. They finally moved out and into an open grove where they discovered the river that ran through the forest. Lee went over and took a drink of water, splashing some on his face and reviving himself.

Gaara looked at Lee kneeling. A strange feeling went through his stomach and he began to feel a desperate, unfulfilled need coming out of its shell. The muscles of Lee's arms rippled under the skin and Gaara found himself licking his lips. Without bothering to think, without wondering what he was doing, Gaara walked up behind Lee. Seeing his shadow, Lee stood up to face Gaara with a questioning look. Grabbing hold of Lee's front, the red-head smashed their lips together.

Lee was shocked at this new development. He was surprised Gaara would want to do this again after what happened last time. But Lee didn't have much time to think, because Gaara's tongue was forcing its way into his mouth, distracting him. Soon, Lee forgot any hesitant thoughts he might have had and pulled Gaara to him.

Gaara felt like he was going insane. He needed to have sex _right now_. It wasn't a question from his body, it was a _demand_. All logical thought left Gaara as he began viciously tearing at Lee's clothes. But Lee stilled his hands. Gaara started to get aggravated, but soon realized that the jumpsuit was already unzipped and falling to the ground. With a sigh, Gaara leaned into the others naked embrace while Lee deftly began undoing his outfit. Eventually the two stood naked together. Lee paused for a moment and looked down at his prize.

Nothing could have been more beautiful to him then Gaara did in that moment. Running calloused hands down Gaara's body, he smiled when the boy shivered under his touch. He finally ran a hand over Gaara's extended stomach, grinning even wider when one of the babies gave a knowing kick. This moment didn't last long though, because Gaara began to twitch with impatience.

Taking Gaara by the hand Lee gently laid him back onto the soft grass. Gaara let out a hiss at the contact but did nothing else. Lee began his ministrations; biting Gaara's neck, kissing and licking his chest, and even taking him in his mouth for a moment. By the time he was finished, Gaara was panting, reaching out his hands blindly for Lee. Lee complied with his wishes, rubbing his cheek against Gaara's hand, which immediately latched onto him, both hands throwing themselves tightly around his neck.

Lee spread Gaara out wide, hoping that this time no pain would come of it. Lee sat for a moment and contemplated what to do. Gai-sensei had given him some friendly advice, but he wasn't quite sure whether Gaara would like it or not. His decision was made for him however, when Gaara gripped him by the hair and tugged him forward, snarling, "If you do not finish this, _right now_, I am going to _kill you_!"

Lee dug his face into the side of Gaara's neck before he slowly began pushing in, complying with Gaara's wishes. He took frequent pauses this time though, letting Gaara's body adjust inch by inch.

Immediately, Gaara felt pain at the intrusion, but slowly, as Lee came in further and further, his body changed switches from pain to pure pleasure. And when Lee was finally all the way in, Gaara felt the overwhelming need to finish, to start moving.

Gaara growled out as his hips gave a small thrust, "If you do not move…"

Lee pulled back and thrust in quick, earning him a scream. "You'll kill me."

The two began moving in a slow hypnotic motion, slow and steady until neither could take it anymore. Both began to move as fast as their bodies would let them. As Lee's moves became more erratic and less focused, he rammed up against that special spot, causing Gaara to loss it right then and there. Lee came only moments later and collapsed off to Gaara's side.

Gaara fell asleep almost immediately and snuggled deep into Lee's side. Lee, still awake, gazed down at the red head. Turning fully to face him, Lee ran a delicate hand down Gaara's stomach. Like many soon to be father's do, Lee began talking to them in a whisper, so he wouldn't wake the slumbering Gaara. "Hey guys. It's your daddy Lee. You three need to stay strong and grow nice and big for your dad and me, okay? I love you." One of the babies kicked again and Lee smiled, falling asleep with the knowledge that his babies were safe and strong, nice and warm in their dad's belly.


	16. Ch15 silent death

Author's Note: Yay! The drama commences! I don't have anything to say at this moment. I hope all of you are shocked out of your pants. Buwahahaha!

The next week and a half followed in much the same fashion. Lee didn't have any missions so he spent much of his time with Gaara. Okay, so he spent basically every waking minute with him. Once Gaara had realized that Lee was serious about what he said and that he wasn't leaving anytime soon, the boy had latched on. But Gaara, of course, didn't latch on in the literal sort of way as it is with most people. Gaara would tell Lee what he was doing, where he was going, what time he was going…with the implication that Lee _should_ follow.

Lee only managed to make matters worse. He couldn't deny Gaara anything. If he wanted that peach, that exact peach, Lee would bend over backwards to get it to him. If Gaara wanted to have sex, then they would. That wasn't so bad except for the fact that Gaara would choose the most inconvenient times and places; the public bathing house being his favorite. Kankuro and Temari tried to warn Lee, but he just didn't listen. By the end of the week, Lee was worn out (from the continuous rounds of sex, Gaara's sex drive having been boosted triple-fold), he was tired (from all the demands and errands), and practically broke (from the amount of food Gaara ate). Gaara didn't have expensive tastes; he just ate in about a week what Lee ate in a month. Temari and Kankuro had just laughed at him; they already knew about Gaara's (_way_) overeating tendencies.

The day started like any other. Lee woke to movement on the bed. The two of them were at Lee's house, not having bothered to go back to the hotel last night. This last week and a half, Lee actually found that they were having a lot of these nights. In fact, Gaara may as well have moved in with him. Hell, Gaara even slept in his bed. Lee rolled over and looked at his lover, who, by that time, had thrown his legs over the side of the bed. Gaara's back was hunched while his hands tried desperately to rub it.

Lee moved up behind him and replaced Gaara's hands with his own. "Your back bothering you again?" Gaara nodded before letting his head drop forward, leaning into Lee's hands like a touch starved kitten. Gaara eventually moved away and stood, walking out the room towards the kitchen. Lee followed suit, knowing full well that Gaara wanted breakfast.

Breakfast was eaten in silence and eventually the two changed into new clothes, getting ready to leave for their daily walk. Gaara had been in the bathroom for a while, so Lee went there to check up on him. He came in to find Gaara on his knees, puking out all of his breakfast into the toilet. The red-head was shaking from head to toe and immediately Lee felt a foreboding chill run down his spine. The puking finally came to a stop, but Gaara didn't raise his head. Lee walked up beside him and rubbed a hand on his shoulders. "Is everything alright?"

Gaara shook his head. Glancing down, Lee found a frightening sight. Instead of puke, instead of the breakfast Lee thought Gaara was throwing up, there was a swirling mass of blood staining the once clear water.

Lee could only stare in horror at the sight. Of course, like it always seems to happen, when Lee thought things were at their worst, he was proven terribly wrong. Gaara let out a pained shriek while his hands flew to his stomach. "Gaara, what's wrong? Tell me!"

Through clenched teeth, Gaara managed out, "My stomach. It's clenching up. It hurts…" Gaara let out another scream.

"Oh shit!" Lee moved closer. "Gaara? Gaara, you have to listen to me! We _have _to get you to the fifth Hokage. She's the best med-nin we have!"

Gaara's eyes shut tight against the pain. "Pe-people can't know."

"You have to! You might lose the babies!"

Gaara's eyes snapped open, immediately finding Lee's. "No! You can't let me lose them!" His eyes squeezed tight and another yell tore its way out of his throat.

Lee turned Gaara towards him and picked him up like a child. Gaara gripped the back of Lee's outfit, tightening his fingers against the pain. Digging his face into Lee's neck, Gaara let out another cry.

"Shh…Don't worry. The fifth will know what to do." Although Lee said this, he felt a large weight drop into the pit of his stomach.

Break-

Lee moved faster then he ever had before. He burst through the door of Tsunade's office, much to the guards surprise and displeasure. "Fifth! You **have **to help! Oh God, something's wrong!"

Tsunade immediately stood up. "What's wrong Lee? And who's that?"

"It's Gaara. Please. You have to help him!" Lee was on the verge of tears, while Gaara had long ago reverted from screams to uncontrollable sobs and weak wails.

Tsunade rushed to his side with a surprised, yet serious look on her face. "Why did you bring him here? The hospital is more suitable."

"You're the best…and closer."

"Well, hurry up and come with me. We need to get him to the hospital as soon as we can." The point was only emphasized when Gaara screamed again.

Break-

Gaara wouldn't let go of Lee's hand while Tsunade examined him. "You're lucky I was here. Male pregnancies are _extremely _rare. Only two others have ever been recorded and I worked on one of those cases. They're also very dangerous and I'm surprised he hasn't had any problems until now."

Clenching his teeth, Gaara managed to rasp out, "What's happening to me?"

Tsunade gave him a sad look. "Your body's attempting to miscarry one of the babies."

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

She didn't reply.

"What?" he yelled, only to fall back onto the sheets, writhing in pain.

Tsunade let the episode pass before she continued. "One of the babies…is dead."

Gaara stared at her in shock. It couldn't be true. _Dead_? It just couldn't be true.

The door burst open and Temari and Kankuro dashed in, having been found by Shizune. Upon seeing a pale, sweaty Gaara, and a crying Lee, they began to feel uneasy and were sure they weren't going to like what they found. Kankuro looked at the Hokage and swore. "Why the hell did you go and get her Lee? And why the hell is Gaara in the hospital in the first place? What the fuck is going on!"

Gaara let out a pained whimper causing Temari to rush to his side. She ran a hand through his sweaty hair and looked at Tsunade. "What's wrong with him?"

Tsunade sighed at his worried siblings before replying, "We have to perform a c-section."

"What? Why?"

"One of the babies is dead and if we don't get it out soon, the other two will die and so might Gaara."

Kankuro looked down shocked, at his little brother. Gaara was shaking in pain, grasping Lee's hand like it was his lifeline. Lee was weeping openly while Gaara stared wide eyed at the ceiling. A single tear escaped the corner of his eye and slid down his cheek.

Upon seeing this, Temari ran a hand through Gaara's hair again, holding back her own tears in an effort to be strong for her baby brother. Kankuro walked over and sat in a nearby chair. "How soon does he need it done?"

"By the end of the day."

Temari gulped. "Can you do it?"

"As soon as I get a team in here, yes."

Temari stared at her fearfully. "Are you going to tell people about this?"

Tsunade gazed at the four of them. Curse her and her bleeding heart. She couldn't do it. She couldn't just blab their secret. That's probably why they came to Konoha in the first place. They were young and deserved a chance. "No, and neither will my team; at least not until we can figure something out, alright?"

Temari gave a small smile and whispered, "Thank you."

The peaceful moment was shattered as another wail erupted out of Gaara. Tsunade thought to herself, '_What have I gotten myself into? Oh well, a promise is a promise. I guess it's time to get to work._'

Author's Note: I just want to ask something: Did you guys honestly think I would just continue the story like it's been the last couple chapters and end it all happy, sappy, with Lee and Gaara running through a field of flowers whilst holding their newborns in their arms? Oh, and just so you guys know, I took a rounded estimate with what still needs to be done, and I've come to the conclusion that Devil in the Sand will probably end up being around 30 chapters. Give or take a chapter or two.


	17. Ch16 surgeries and explanations

Author's Note: So this chapter is definately important to the story; it explains a _lot_ of things that people would have been asking about later. Yay for all the drama coming back! I'll see you all next update!

Kankuro was pacing furiously back and forth, while Temari swung a nervous leg. Kankuro looked over at Shizune and said in a strained whisper, "So why exactly does this need to be done now? Can't we just leave it in there until he gives birth?"

Shizune sighed at the continuous questions. "In a normal pregnancy, yes, some people do that. However, Gaara's pregnancy is much different. He may now have a female anatomy, but that doesn't change the fact that a male's body is not made to hold that many parts. The babies are already vying for room as it is. The dead baby would only damper progress and may even affect the others fatally. If the dead body remains inside Gaara's body, he'll get sick. To top it off, his body doesn't realize that he can't give birth. Only his insides are that of a woman's, not his outside. So until the baby is dispelled, his body will continue to try to evict it. He would be in continual pain and on bed rest for the rest of his pregnancy."

Temari raised a hand to her mouth. "My God."

Lee reeled back from the door and fidgeted from foot to foot. "Will he be okay?"

Shizune looked at him. "Tsunade is the best."

Lee sat down heavily in a chair, wringing his hands in worry. Shizune followed him with her eyes and gave him an encouraging smile. "There's no need to worry. He'll be fine. I told you, Tsunade _is_ the best." Even with this reassurance, the three continued to look worriedly at the door.

Break-

The team was set and ready to go. Tsunade stood next to Gaara and looked down at him. "Are you ready?" Gaara gave his sweaty head a shake. "Alright then; I'll explain a few things about the procedure to you. There is no 'advanced' way to do this operation. Because you're male, we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way, making sure every cut is precise. We will use chakra to help heal up the cuts, so no harm shall come to the other babies or yourself. First a shot will be administered to your abdomen, only to numb it mind you. You will feel all this somewhat and you might feel a little pain; nothing to severe though. That's about it. So lets get started shall we? Rani, administer the shot please."

A young med-nin walked up next to the bed, a long needle in hand. She ran her hand along Gaara's now exposed stomach (his shirt having been taken a long time ago) until she found the spot she wanted. The shot went in and was injected. So far so good.

Gaara felt the pain slowly dissipating. Another med-ninja came up beside Gaara with a scalpel in hand. Tsunade moved closer to the bed, a scalpel now also in her hand. Tsunade nodded her head and the medic slowly lowered the knife towards Gaara's stomach… A viscous whirl of sand spread over Gaara's stomach like a tidal wave. His eyes flew wide open. '_Shit!_'

Tsunade gave him a serious look. "What's this?"

"My sand." Gaara whispered.

"Please lower your defenses Gaara. We can't continue until you do."

"I can't."

"What?"

"The sand protects me of its own accord."

Tsunade rubbed an irritated hand across her forehead. "Please try to control it. We _must_ do this surgery."

Gaara closed his eyes and delved within. He started inwardly to talk to the sand, but it was futile. The sand didn't understand how a knife in his belly could possibly benefit in any way. Gaara scowled. He only had one other option. He hated it, but he had to, it was the only thing he could think of.

'_Shukaku?'_

There was a long silence before the demon finally answered, anger etched in his voice. '_What do you want?'_

'_Help me.'_

_'Why?'_

_'You're a demon of the sand. I need you to help me.'_

_'Why should I help you?'_

_'I might die and my babies _will _die.'_

_'And I care because?'_

_'You were the one who made it so I got pregnant in the first place! Why would you want them to die?'_

_'Because I could really care less.'_

_'Shukaku, if I die, you're going to be sealed away again!' _Gaara thought with venom. He knew it'd hit the spot. _'You really want that?'_

_'Fine, I'll help.'_ Shukaku replied with a snarl.

Gaara instantly relaxed again and opened his eyes. He could feel Shukaku coiling inside, as if awakening from a long sleep. Shukaku's power crawled over Gaara's skin and in the recesses of mind he heard a soft, yet clear, _'Ready.'_

Gaara looked at an expectant Tsunade and said, "You can continue now."

The med-nin lowered the scalpel onto Gaara's stomach. He flinched, but made no other move as the blade cut a line across his abdomen. Sand slithered along the frame of the bed, attempting to push up Gaara's sides. But it was repelled, almost as if blocked by an invisible wall. The sand beat against, seeming almost livid as it was deterred from its master. Eventually, it gave up its battle, seeping into Gaara's skin as a retreat. It had never had a chance against Shukaku's power.

Break-

An hour later, Tsunade walked out of the room, a small bundle in her hand. Everyone shot up. Lee beat everyone. "How is he?"

With an unreadable expression, Tsunade replied, "He's fine. He passed out two minutes into the surgery."

"And the babies?" Lee said, shaking.

"Both are fine." Lee burst into tears and Temari and Kankuro heaved a sigh of relief. "Lee, I wanted to know whether or not you wanted to see the baby before I take it away. You are the father, correct?" He nodded. "Then do you want to see it?"

Lee put on a brave face and walked over, tears still streaming down his face. Temari and Kankuro were close behind Lee and the three looked down to look upon the child never to see light. It was tiny. Even though it was small, it still had ten fingers and ten toes, and upon its head was a small patch of jet black hair. Lee knelt next to Tsunade and ran a finger on the blanket. "I'm sorry this happened. I know you would have been a great child. I'll always remember you though. And I'm sure your dad will too. Remember, I love you." Lee stood up and looked at Tsunade with a torn expression. "Can I go see him?"

"Yes, just don't wake him up. Let him rest for as long as he needs to."

Lee nodded. "I understand." Then he walked into the operation room.

Tsunade looked at the siblings who were at that moment about to follow Lee. "Wait you two. I need to ask you a question." They looked at her questioningly.

Temari said, "What?"

"Look at this baby. Can either of you tell me how far along this baby is?"

Kankuro gave her a look. "It's almost five months, why?"

"And why do you say that?"

"Cause that's how far along he is."

Tsunade passed the bundle to Shizune who immediately walked away before the fifth continued. "This is where I get confused. You see, this baby is already a little over six months along."

"What?" Temari whispered and Kankuro yelled.

"That's what I said. Now, I know there are only two ways a male can get pregnant. One: there is a special jutsu which allows the user to temporally have female organs, unless they get pregnant of course. This technique however, has only been successfully used once, considering the pregnancy chances are one in a thousand. Two: I have seen one other case where the man was connected to a demon and he and the demon made a deal. He was given the organs by the demon so he could have kids. So, now, let's take a look at this situation we have here. Which is it? Because this…" she nodded her head to where Gaara was now resting, "is a problem."

Temari took the floor. "It has long been a secret of our village, a secret not meant to leave its walls, that Gaara-"

Kankuro cut in. "Are you sure we should tell her this?"

Temari just gave him a glare before continuing. "-while still in the womb was bound to the one tailed sand demon Shukaku. And yes, according to Gaara, Shukaku created the female organs so he could get pregnant. However, this was not Gaara's choice. Shukaku did this, _supposedly_, to mess with him."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "What type of animal is Shukaku?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kankuro mumbled.

"Just answer the question."

Temari sighed. "A raccoon."

Tsunade's eyes briefly widened. "Well, that explains a lot."

"What?"

"You see, a raccoon carries its young for two months. A human, _obviously_, nine. When a male, or a female for that matter, connected with a demon, becomes pregnant, the demon, in its own way, does too. Since Shukaku is a raccoon, many of a raccoon's tendencies are happening to Gaara. In fact, each child holds within them, a demon kit. Because the kits would have been developed by two months, Gaara's pregnancy has been sped up. My estimate, with how things are now, is that Gaara will give birth a whole two months early. That means he should be expecting around the end of the seventh month."

Kankuro flipped out. "Whoa! Wait! Are you saying we only have a little over two months to prepare for these babies? What are we going to do? We still haven't figured out what we're going to do about the village. We're expected back in a week or so. We can't just stay here till he gives birth. Shit! Shit! Shit! What are we going to do Temari?"

Tsunade held up a hand. "Be quiet for a moment." She rubbed her temples. "You're giving me a headache. I'll be sending a message to Suna for you. I'll tell them I need you here for a couple more months. I wouldn't really have even thought about letting you leave anyways. I want to keep Gaara close by so I can monitor the rest of his pregnancy. Once he goes into labor, I'll have to be here. No one else has done this procedure; not any that are alive anyways. Besides, he might have more problems. I can't be sure one way or another. In the end, your best option _is _to keep him here."

Temari gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you. We are in your debt Hokage."

Tsunade smiled. "No problem." She watched the siblings go through the same doors Lee had while simultaneously, Shizune appeared from around the corner. She turned to her assistant. "Shizune…"

"Yes Hokage?"

"Where's the sake? I need a couple bottles after this one."


	18. Ch17 kidnap

Author's Note: Yay for drama soap opera stuff! Just when you think things couldn't get any worse...they always hit and sometimes even _sink_ _below_ rock bottom. Gaara's life _always_ seems to be like this. Sorry Gaara! We love you! See everyone next time!

Gaara woke to a slumbering Lee. He was sprawled in the chair beside the bed, dark rings circling under his eyes. Gaara felt a surprising feeling of relief. Lee had stayed with him all night. Lee instantly awoke to the movement Gaara made. His eyes popped open as he shot up. "Gaara! You're awake! Are you okay? Oh, wait! Don't move! You need to rest!"

Gaara kept still except for turning his head. He looked blankly at Lee while moving a hand to his stomach. It didn't feel any different then before. But it wasn't the same. He just couldn't wrap his mind around it. He just couldn't believe one of them was gone; just completely gone. He'd spent almost five months of his life growing, changing. Within himself new life grew; a new experience that was slowly transforming him. But _now_, now one of those lives within him had completely vanished. He forced out one word from his mouth, "Lee." Gaara scooted over on the bed and waited. Lee gave a sad smile and climbed in next to him. Lee wrapped his arms around his lover, giving him much needed comfort.

Gaara didn't understand. He was confused. The feelings running through his head made no sense to him. Feelings of loss, grief, these were things he couldn't quite grasp. All he knew was that he felt horrible. He grasped onto Lee and held on, completely at a loss for words…or for thought. Lee spoke up. "You know Gaara, this isn't the end. You have two more little ones in there that want you to stay strong and youthful! The one you lost would not want you to grieve for something you couldn't help. I bet my life on that!"

Gaara nodded while remaining still. Lee was right. Whatever feelings these were, even if he felt like just lying there wallowing in his misery, he knew that he had to get up. He knew that life wasn't always fair. He'd learned that one the hard way. He knew that life would continue on. He knew he'd continue on. Even if life was different now, he knew that everything would be alright in the end. Everything would make sense in time.

Kankuro and Temari burst through the door. "Gaara, you're awake!" Temari yelled as she ran to the bed. "Are you alright? Do you hurt anywhere?"

Kankuro said, "We were worried about you."

Gaara buried himself deeper into Lee's body. "I'm fine. Go get me food."

Kankuro sighed. '_Here we go again._' "Alright, what do you want?"

"Tofu and vegetables, three peaches, a bowl of miso ramen, and green tea."

Temari smiled. "Okay then. We'll be back."

Lee grinned. "Your appetite is the same as ever!"

Gaara growled. "Shut up."

Lee laughed as the door opened again. Tsunade walked in, a bottle of sake in hand. "I'm glad to see you're awake. And Lee…"

"Yes Hokage?"

"Get out of there. I need to check him."

Lee blushed furiously as he remembered where he was. He leaped out of bed, leaving a glaring Gaara. With a quick boost of speed, Tsunade examined Gaara. "You're healing quite well. You should be able to leave within a few days." Gaara gave a curt nod. "Now Gaara, I've already spoken to your siblings about this. Because of your condition, I will not be allowing you to return to Suna until you've given birth." Tsunade gave a knowing smile. "I have already sent a letter requesting that you three stay here a bit longer. I do still need your guy's help." She gave him a look. "Unless of course you _want _to return home…"

Gaara gave her a slightly irritated stare. "I'll stay here."

"Alright then, I'll come back later to check up on you. Oh, and one last thing. No strenuous activities for a bit okay?" With a smirk, Tsunade left, leaving behind a completely red Lee and a grumbling Gaara.

The siblings and Lee ate dinner that night in Gaara's room. They sat around talking (except Gaara of course) late into the evening. Tsunade eventually came in and broke them up. She needed to give Gaara a last check-up and he needed to sleep.

The group dispersed leaving Gaara alone for the night. Sighing, he turned over on his side, ready to drift off into dream land. The long evening with his siblings and Lee had left him worn out. The room was black as was Gaara's slowly disappearing sight.

A resounding creak tore through Gaara's darkening conscious, instantly awaking him. A slight rustle of clothing indicated someone had entered the room. Gaara stilled as the person walked over to his bed. Slowly, the curtains around his bed were pulled back. Maybe the sucker thought that it wouldn't wake him up. As soon as the curtain opened, the sand that continuously protected him smashed into the body, sending them flying. Gaara sat up and threw his legs over the bed, intending to stand. The figure let out an annoyed grumble.

There was a flash, a scream, and a thud as Gaara fell to the ground unconscious….

Break-

Gaara faded in and out of consciousness. He couldn't move his body. He could barely get the energy to lift his head. With his swimming vision, Gaara was able to make out one thing before he fell to sleep again…grey hair.

Break-

Lee, Temari, and Kankuro entered Gaara's room. The sheets of his bed were pulled to the floor and the bed itself was shockingly empty. Temari screamed, Kankuro yelled, and Lee fainted dead away…


	19. Ch18 in the house of Orochimaru

Author's Note: Woo! Drama! I hope this chapter drives you all crazy with questions:)hehe. There's more stuff in store so keep on reading!

Lee had been pacing for the past twenty minutes; back and forth, back and forth. Eventually Kankuro couldn't take it anymore. "Would you stop it!?"

Lee immediately stopped. "Sorry."

Tsunade looked at the three. She was worried just as much as the others were. How could someone have slipped right through their fingers like that? Who would have and could have kidnapped Gaara? She sat up straighter in her chair before speaking. "This is a dire situation. Is there anyone else who knows about this? Anyone else that could help us? I've sent out ANBU members already, but still. I think we need all the help we can get. We have no leads. We have no idea which direction they went. Hell, we don't even have a clue as to who would want to kidnap him."

Temari readjusted herself. "A few of the guys from around here know; Shikamaru, Neji, Shino, Kiba, and Naruto."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "How did that work out?"

"They were at the same restaurant as us and saw how big Gaara looked. Shikamaru connected the lines and made a bet that Gaara is pregnant. We talked to them about it a couple days later. I'm not sure, however, if they've told anyone else. Neji told Lee at least."

Lee came in. "Tenten knows too. And I think Kiba might have told Hinata about it."

Kankuro gave a low snarl. "I'm going to kill that stupid bastard."

Temari looked at him with a raised brow. Tsunade just sighed. "And that idiotic kid probably told Sakura. Well, at least this raises our odds slightly. Would you three mind finding everyone that knows and bringing them to my office?"

Lee. "Alright!"

Temari. "Sure."

Kankuro. "Whatever."

Break-

The group stood in the Hokage's office. The only thought going through everyone's minds was, _'What the hell is going on?_' Tsunade looked at the group. "Alright guys, I have a mission for you that's to be executed in secret. Gaara has been kidnapped and I need you to _try_ and find him. If possible, get him back."

The group stared at her in shock. _The _Sabaku no Gaara had been kidnapped? How? Tsunade could tell what they were thinking. "He was just recovering from an operation and was taken while he was asleep. There were very little signs of struggle, so I'm assuming that Gaara was taken by surprise. He's just had surgery and is pregnant. It probably wasn't that hard of a task. I have no clue how to track them, seeing as the kidnapper left behind no clues whatsoever. All I ask is that you find him and bring him back within the next two months. I don't care how you do it. Just get the job done. You will be doing no other missions until this one is complete. Is that clear? Good. Now, I've messed a little bit with the teams, seeing as we don't have full groups here. Neji, you are leader of your normal group. Shino, Kankuro will be joining your team for the time being. Shino is leader." Tsunade raised a hand at Kankuro's protest. "This is your brother we're talking about. I can't risk you loosing your head over something. This is for your own good. Shikamaru, you will be leader of the rest. I saw that Temari. I remain standing with what I said to Kankuro. I can't risk the two of you loosing hold of your emotions if something bad has happened to him. I want no arguments from either of you. I expect a report every couple weeks. You are dismissed."

The group left, talking amongst themselves about what was to be done. They decided to divide into their groups and leave from different ends of the city. Each team went their separate ways, preparing for what they knew was going to be one of their longest missions yet.

Break-

Gaara fully awoke for the first time in a couple days. His head was swimming and his stomach was screaming in hunger. He sat up slowly, glancing at his surroundings. He was shocked to find himself in a lavish room; the walls were decorated with old wall scrolls and the bed he lay on was covered in black silk sheets. Just where the hell was he?

The door of the room let out a creak and automatically Gaara went into a defensive position. Gaara growled low in his throat as he recognized the grey hair of his captor. "Nice to see you're awake Sabaku no Gaara."

Gaara snarled. "What the hell do you want with me?"

The man pushed his glasses up his nose. "Now, now Gaara, no need to get angry. Usually when you first meet someone you introduce yourself you know. I'm Kabuto. It's nice to meet you. And you?" He swept a hand in Gaara's direction, giving him the motion to answer.

Gaara curled his lip at him. "You already know my fucking name. Where the _hell_ am I?"

"That's no way to talk to the person who is being so kind as to bring you food." It was only then that Gaara noticed the tray of food in his hand. Gaara felt himself salivating. Good God food! How he missed it! "You want it?" Kabuto gave him a smile before setting the tray on the bed in front of Gaara. "He wants you to eat and be fully rested before he comes to see you, so chop chop!"

"Who does?" Gaara asked suspiciously.

Kabuto just smiled. "I'll tell you if you eat your food."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. But just then, his stomach gave a loud, angry growl. He couldn't help himself. He grabbed the food tray and shoveled it down like a rabid wolf. He didn't look up again until his fingers were licked clean. "Now, tell me, who the hell is this guy that wants me, why does he need me, and where the fuck am I?" Gaara said this in a calm deliberate tone, earning him another grin.

"Orochimaru ordered your capture. Why he did, you'll have to ask him. And you are in his mansion, which is located in the Grass Country. Alright, so now that that's settled. Orochimaru requests that you take a nap before he comes and talks to you. He knows how you pregnant women…well…men…can be when you haven't gotten your beauty sleep." Gaara glared. How did this guy know? "So, get some rest and Orochimaru will see you in a bit."

With that, Kabuto grabbed the empty tray and left. Gaara heard a faint click as the door was bolted. Standing, Gaara walked closer to the wooden entryway. '_This shouldn't be too hard. All I have to do is break down the door with my sand. This is just too easy._' Gaara took a deep breath and called the sand up. His eyes immediately widened. The sand wasn't moving. What the hell? Where was the sand? Gaara heard an eruption of laughter from the back of his mind. '_You can't use it anymore. The babies take so much of your chakra that you can't do offensive moves anymore. The sand will still protect you, but that's about it._'

'_What!_'

Gaara could feel Shukaku smirking in his head. '_Sucks don't it? Not to be able to use your powers? Sucker…_'

Gaara let out a frustrated scream as he literally stomped around the room. Eventually though, he ran out of steam and fell back onto the bed. He was really tired. He could barely think, let alone come up with an escape plan. Climbing into the middle of the bed, Gaara curled into a ball. Something was missing though. Gaara clenched his teeth as he realized what was wrong. He missed Lee. He missed the warm, comforting body behind him as he fell asleep. Every time he'd even taken a nap, Lee would lie down next to him and hold him tight, giving Gaara comfort and peace he'd never felt before.

Gaara scowled. Now was not the time to be thinking about that. So, in uncomfortable silence, Gaara fell asleep to the sound of his own breathing. Cast into a world of dreams, Gaara was plagued by images of Lee slipping away from him; his hand outstretched and his fingers reaching, as he fell away into darkness.

Break-

Orochimaru entered the locked room. Gaara lay curled up on the bed, his arms protectively wrapped around his stomach. Orochimaru gave a malicious grin. Gaara was such a pretty boy.

He only took a step closer when he felt a shift in the air. A ripple went over Gaara's body. Orochimaru watched in fascination as a light brown, raccoon face overshadowed Gaara's. Orochimaru spoke in a quiet whisper. "You must be Shukaku."

The raccoon face gave a cruel grin. "That I am."

Orochimaru smirked. "I see you've come out. Why would that be?"

The raccoon looked malevolent laying there. "I have a proposition for you."

PLEASE READ: Author's Note: I wanted to ask all my readers/reviewers whether or not they'd like a sequel story to Devil in the Sand. Either send me a private message or write it in your reviews. It will obviosuly be about Gaara and Lee's children. I have ideas for it; however, if not enough people want one, I'm not going to bother writing it, so please tell me what you think.


	20. Ch19 visit from Orochimaru

Author's Note: Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you all suffer since I didn't explain the propostion...hahahaha...+cough+ Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to all the freaks out there, especially Orochimaru, who I wish to beat over the head with a 2X4 (perhaps with a couple rusty nails sticking out of it...can you say tetnis shot?). See everyone later.

Gaara awoke with a start. He started to panic. Where the hell was he? Why was he here? Where were his siblings? Where was Lee? Oh…wait. The other day's events passed through Gaara's head. His mouth turned down into an angry scowl. How would he get by without his power? How would he escape?

The door gave a loud wail. Gaara stood as fast as he could. In walked Kabuto. He had a tray with him just like the previous time. "I thought you'd like to eat again before Orochimaru came to see you." He gave Gaara a smile and set down the tray on the bed. Gaara waited until Kabuto had stepped away before grabbing the tray. His babies instantly smelled the food and screamed out in protest for Gaara to eat. His fingers moved on their own accord. His face was soon stuffed full of food, what it was, Gaara didn't care, as long as it was sustenance.

Kabuto let out a laugh as he watched Gaara wolf down the food in four minutes flat. When he finished, Gaara pushed the tray away and took a step back. Grabbing the tray, Kabuto turned towards the door. "Orochimaru will be in soon."

Kabuto disappeared and Gaara was again alone. Placing a hand on his belly, he began to pace. After a good twenty minutes the red-head started to become extremely irritated. He had spent most of his pregnancy locked up. He'd hated it. But then he and Lee and started going out every day. In that short week and a half, Gaara had become quite attached to his time out with Lee; walking, talking (mostly on Lee's end). Now here he was, stuck in another room…_yet again_.

He didn't have to wait much longer. The door opened and in walked Orochimaru. Gaara had never before met the man who'd killed his father, but now he knew that he'd have preferred to have kept it that way. In fact, if Gaara could, he would have gotten that pole Kankuro had wanted and pushed Orochimaru as far away as humanly possible. Long, greasy, black hair framed a pasty face. His eyes stood out with its bright yellow color and slit pupils, emphasized by purple eye shadow. What the hell was up with this guy?

Orochimaru took a step towards Gaara as the door shut and clicked behind him. A voice escaped the pale, cracked lips. "Hello and welcome to my home…_Sabaku no Gaara_."

Gaara gave him a menacing stare. "What the hell do you want with me?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "Very straightforward I see. Well, I will not answer your questions. Not now anyways. That is of no importance right now. What is important," Orochimaru took another step closer, "is getting what I want." A twisted smirk dominated his features. Gaara, for the first time in his life took a step backwards. Orochimaru's smile only widened at the action. Realizing his mistake, Gaara held still, protectively wrapping his arms over his belly. Orochimaru walked the rest of the way, standing threateningly in front of Gaara. He remained perfectly still as Orochimaru lowered his face next to his ear. "No one," he whispered, "is going to save you from me."

Gaara's eyes widened as he felt a strong, vise-like grip dig into his biceps. Gaara instantly pulled back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Orochimaru held fast to the now struggling boy. "Let me go!"

Orochimaru pulled the boy to him, wrapping his arms behind his back. Taking in a deep breath, he inhaled Gaara's scent. With a burst of energy, Gaara managed to shove the unsuspecting Orochimaru away from him. He backed up and snarled, "What the fuck are you playing at?"

Orochimaru gave him what could only be called a perverted smile. "Now, now, don't be like that, not after all the trouble I went through to bring you here."

"I don't fucking give a shit. Now move out of my way, I'm leaving."

Gaara took straight forward strides, ignoring Orochimaru as he passed. But the snake master was not about to let his prey go so easily. Grabbing hold of Gaara's arm, he twisted it behind his back with a ruthless force. A high pitched shriek filled the room. One of Gaara's bones had snapped. In a haze of pain, Gaara didn't notice when his shirt was ripped from his body. He did however feel when Orochimaru placed his hands under his arms. The thrashing boy was easily picked up and placed on the bed, falling forward onto his knees and reverting his attention back to his arm. As Gaara held his useless arm to his body, he felt the last remaining strength he had leave him.

The bed sank under Orochimaru's weight as he climbed up on it. Gaara didn't even spare him a glance, he was gazing ahead, only able to concentrate on the bright white flashes of pain pounding through his skull. He did notice though, when his completely bare body met open air. Shocked, Gaara jumped. But this shock was quickly replaced with revulsion and horror as he felt a hand slide down his back. Gaara attempted a feeble crawl away from his captor. But it was too late and Gaara was too weak. His mind soon went blank to all thoughts except the burning pain coursing through his body and a heartless peal of laughter echoing in every crevice of his poor tortured mind.

Break-

When Gaara woke, he felt oddly disoriented and had an intense urge to pee. But this was vanished from his mind when the other day's events crowded in. Gaara felt revolted. No one was ever allowed to touch him, except Lee. When he thought of Lee a weird sense of guilt began to curl in the pit of his stomach. With despair rising, Gaara sat up.

Whoa, wait a minute. Wasn't his arm broken? And why the hell wasn't he sore? Where, in fact, was all the blood? What the…was he clothed too? Gaara looked down at himself. He was dressed in a long, black silk nightgown. _Wait_…weren't these things made for women? Gaara felt a twitch in his eye begin. Gaara slowly rose from the bed and then stopped to listen. A click from the door indicated a visitor. Gaara tensed for a moment until he saw a shock of grey hair. "Gaara, it's nice to see that you're awake. I brought you breakfast."

Gaara didn't speak until all the food was gone and Kabuto was getting ready to leave. Gaara let out a noise as Kabuto was about to walk out. "Yes Gaara?"

"I need to use the bathroom; right now."

Kabuto looked at him and chuckled. "Alright, follow me." Kabuto handed the tray to a guard standing outside the door and walked off down the one-way hall. There were dozens of doors lining the dimly lit hallway. Kabuto suddenly stopped. "Well, here we are." Gaara looked at the door and couldn't help but roll his eyes. The door was literally marked 'restroom'. Gaara pushed past Kabuto and stepped inside. The bathroom was fit for a king; beautifully marbled floors, dim lanterns lighting the large space, a large bath (made for at least two people), and even a gold rimmed toilet seat. This of course was of no concern to Gaara who was rushing to get to the toilet. He stood there in the room for what seemed like forever as his bladder emptied itself. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. Oh for the love of God! Four minutes. Eventually the peeing stopped and Gaara heaved a sigh. _Finally_.

He exited the bathroom to find Kabuto waving to a passerby. The boy looked over his shoulder and gave Kabuto a nod. Gaara almost felt his eyes pop. Kabuto continued to wave and Gaara stare, as the one named Uchiha Sasuke rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.

Author's Note: If you guys want a sequel, please tell me as soon as possible because I need to start laying down the plotline foundation and I don't want to waste my time (or that of my friend who's been helping me) when people don't want it, or are too lazy to send me a message to say they want it. Thank you to those who _did_ review last chapter and _do_ want a sequel. Thank's so much for your support +Gai sensei pose-tears included+


	21. Ch20 confronting the past

Auhtor's Note: I have something to explain about this chapter. As anyone can see, Gaara usually doesn't talk nearly as much as he does in this chapter. But the thing is, at this point in the story, I have pulled out a new aspect of Gaara's new personailty as seen in the Kimimaro episodes. After he fights Kimimaro, he talks to Lee and we see a huge change. He is very perceptive and can see the inner workings of people. That is the part of Gaara's character that I wanted people to see in this chapter. Normally, Gaara wouldn't have spoken this much, but I took a few liberities here since Gaara is, after all, a hormonal pregnant man trapped in a castle with a sick freak. The other thing to also remember, is the fact that the character he bitches out represents the thing he hates the most, a betrayal of trust (remember the whole, uncle wanting to kill him thing...ya).

The next two weeks for Gaara were full of _interesting_ things to say the least. For a good ninety percent of this time, Gaara found himself basically living in the bathroom. He alternated between puking and peeing, neither of which made him very pleased. His puking had calmed once he had reached Konoha and he had thought that it would stay that way…apparently not. He'd never had the problem with the constant bathroom urges, so he found himself becoming very irritable as the time slowly crawled by one day at a time.

This part wasn't the most interesting portion of his life though. Orochimaru had taken an extreme liking to Gaara, much to his chagrin. The snake man would show up everyday at lunch time to sit and talk with his prisoner, who in turn, shot daggers at him from across the meal. Orochimaru would pointedly ignore these stares of death, or, changing tactics, he would start to talk about how pretty Gaara was, which only induced more rage from the red-head.

Gaara did however, consider himself lucky. Since the first day Orochimaru came to see him, the man had only twice since repeated his horrifyingly unspeakable act. Both times the pregnant boy had found himself with some broken limb or another (due to his struggling) that was mysteriously healed the next day. When he had mentioned this to Kabuto, the man had given him a knowing smile, which Gaara took to mean that Kabuto had healed him himself. Gaara wasn't complaining.

The evenings at the mansion were spent down in the dining hall where Gaara would sit with Kabuto and eat plates upon plates of decent food. Not that the food wasn't good. Gaara was only disappointed because it wasn't his sibling's homemade cooking; food which he had found himself attached to after so many months of pregnancy.

With the dining room as the destination, Kabuto lead Gaara with a deliberate slowness. Gaara had discovered that recently he was slowing considerably. He felt larger then ever and had noticed that walking for long periods of time was completely impossible now. He tired easily and couldn't seem to even get the strength to walk more then to the dining hall and back (he'd tried going on a longer walk with Kabuto one day after dinner, only to collapse five minutes later from exhaustion). Kabuto had slyly implied that perhaps this fatigue was a result of Gaara's extra baggage. These conversations had ended with a prone Gaara muttering what sounded to Kabuto like, 'mutter…death…mumble…entrails…murmur…I do like _that_ weapon…grumble…castration…' Kabuto had only laughed. I mean, after all, Gaara had gained a total of fifty-five pounds already, although he adamantly insisted that no such change had occurred.

Now as he entered the long, faintly lit room, Gaara felt an overwhelming sense of relief. He was hungry enough that he was certain he could eat an entire chicken, maybe two. Kabuto and Gaara sat at a long, wooden table. At their respective places were plates of food; six or seven plates had been placed down for Gaara and another two had been laid down for Kabuto. Kabuto sat in a comfortable slouch, rattling on about some daily events; of course these were unimportant stories that were dull to say the least. Kabuto would never dream of revealing anything of relevance to him. Gaara understood. Kabuto was loyal to Orochimaru through and through, even if the guy _was_ a creep. Gaara even wondered sometimes if Kabuto actually loved the man. It was sort of an obvious thing from Gaara's view point, but Gaara also knew he'd never say anything. He had grown a bit close to Kabuto throughout these last two weeks. But even so, Gaara didn't view Kabuto as his friend; in fact, if given a chance to escape, Gaara would have no qualms beating Kabuto's face into the ground.

Their dinner always seemed to pass by quickly. Soon, Kabuto was stacking plates for the servants to come pick up later. Just as Gaara was about to stand, a figure strode into the room, making barely a sound as he sat down at the table where a plate of food mysteriously appeared. He looked across the table at Kabuto and Gaara, speaking only one word. "Hey."

Gaara's eyes narrowed and he felt a coil of anger unfurl inside of him. He'd never been particularly fond of the boy sitting across from him, but after what he did…Gaara found himself feeling a deep sense of loathing that permeated every cell of his body. The pure obsidian eyes turned to him and an eyebrow lifted at Gaara's glare. "Is there something you'd like to say to me…Gaara?" Gaara felt a deep growl rumble deep in his throat. "Well, what is it? I'm not a very patient person."

Gaara let a small hiss slither from his throat. "Well that's an obvious statement. Do you have anything worthwhile to say that I don't know?"

The boy across from him narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said, _baka_. If you had any brain cells you wouldn't be _here,_ now would you?"

"I did what had to be done." scoffed the boy.

"Yes, and I see how wonderfully that's working for you. I'm surprised you haven't jumped tail from here to try to find something better. I mean, that is the only thing you're good at; quitting that is."

"Listen you little slut! I'm doing what needs to be done! There is no other way to get the power that I need!"

"A slut? That's rich. I may be pregnant but at least I have yet to go selling my body for power. You see Uchiha Sasuke; I don't really give a fuck what you think. You are _nothing_ to me. You are nothing but a coward who shies away from hard work. You had to go to someone else who would give you the power that you were too lazy to work for." Gaara stood up, surprisingly graceful, and looked down his nose at the black-haired prodigy across from him. "You know Uchiha, I find it ironic." Gaara's lip curled as he continued. "You who had so much have become so little. When back in Konoha, the one who's giving everything to get you back has become twice the _man_ that you will ever be. And that, I find truly shocking, because the one who has the monster inside, is him."

Sasuke shot up. Snarling, he let out a fierce, whispered tirade, "You bloody bastard! You know _nothing_! You don't know anything about my life and about what I've had to do to get where I am! You know nothing of revenge or of the burden of being the only one who can carry it out. You don't know **anything**!" Sasuke glared at him from across the table.

Gaara turned to him and gave him a sneer. "Oh, of _course_ Sasuke, you being the victim is the perfect role. Keep it up, it suits you."

Sasuke let out a roar as he leaped across the table. Kabuto moved in a flash, grasping the boy under the arms as he huffed. Gaara kept still and looked Sasuke in the eye. "Uchiha, you are the one that's wrong. You are the one who knows nothing. Until this last year, I have known nothing other then being alone. How would you have felt Uchiha, if your father had tried to have you assassinated when you were six? How would you feel, being shunned by everyone in your village? You, unlike me, had people who liked you and respected you. In fact, you had one person who wholly accepted you unconditionally, no strings attached. And you know what you did? You abandoned him. You accepted his friendship and his love, then up and decided that no, he wasn't good enough. The only thing that would be good enough would be to extract your fucking revenge. I think you've held onto the past a bit too long Sasuke. Sometimes, it's better to just let go." With that, Gaara turned on his heel, walking as fast as his body would let him out of the room, leaving behind a silent Sasuke.

Kabuto caught up with him in the hallway. "You know, you've really ruffled his feathers. He's _really_ going to hate you now."

Gaara looked at him and smirked. "Hatred is one thing I'm good at."


	22. Ch21 lose yourself

Author's Note: So we're leaving the GaaraXOrochimaru scene for a chapter or so. This chapter and the next one help set up things for the sequel. This chapter also sets up things that will happen later in the story. Sorry it took so long to update, but I was really busy this weekend and didn't have the time. Hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter. I don't know about you, but I adore this couple! Yay!

"Next time you do that dog-breath, I'll pound your face in!"

"Shut up! That was so not my fault!"

"Alright, sure. You just _happened upon_-"

"If it's anyone's fault, it's yours! _You_ were the one that-"

"I didn't do **anything** you dumb-ass!"

"Bastard!"

"Asshole!"

"Whiny bitch!"

"Oh no. You did _not_ just call me a girl!"

"Ha ha!"

"I'm going to beat you to a bloody pulp!"

"If you can catch me!"

"**Alright**! That is **enough** you two!" Shino's voice came out as an irritated whisper. Both boys instantly stopped and looked over at him. "I'm tired of listening to the two of you bicker like a couple of children."

Kankuro looked away in a huff and Kiba dropped his head. Kiba mumbled, "Well he started it."

"I so did not!" Kankuro said indignity.

"Kiba! Kankuro!" Shino turned around and gave the two a hard look. "If I hear another word I'll wrap both of your mouths shut." They both closed their mouths tightly and looked at the trees. They had been out in the wild for over three weeks already. Kiba and Kankuro had made the trip difficult of course by constantly arguing and fighting. Shino was fed up and Hinata was worried. The two had yet to stop their tirade and the shy girl was worried that they might end up hurting one another.

The group traveled in complete silence for the next couple hours. The sun began to set and Shino decided to have them set up camp. By the dying light, camp was quickly put up. The group sat down around a campfire and pulled out their food. Dinner was eaten in comfortable silence. When he finished, Kiba stood up. "I'm going out to train. Be back in an hour or two."

Shino nodded his head and Hinata called out, "Be careful!" He raised a hand in acknowledgement and continued walking. After a while, Akamaru started barking and Kiba gave a curt nod. They went to the left and walked into a clearing. Akamaru jumped out of his jacket and began wagging his tail. Training began.

Akamaru and Kiba worked hard; until the sweat was dripping and their bodies were sore. A good hour and a half passed so Kiba decided to head back. Just as he took a step, a strange scent clouded his nose and Kiba whipped around. There was nothing there. _'Maybe it was just an animal.'_ He turned back for only a second when he was tackled to the ground. The person was tall and strong, effectively pinning Kiba's legs with his and holding his hands above his head, Kiba's face digging into the ground.

He was thoroughly restrained. He didn't have time to react or to move or to even defend himself. Akamaru was barking wildly, running to Kiba's side. Kiba however, was worried for his puppy. The guy had snuck up on both of them and disabled Kiba without a sweat. This guy was dangerous. "No! Akamaru! Run! Go find Shino!" The dog gave him an angry look but followed his master's orders.

The man leaned down and breathed in Kiba's scent. "Mm, we're alone now. Good."

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?!"

"You walked in on my territory and now I'm going to play with you."

"What?!"

"First I'll drive you crazy." He let go with one hand and ran it down Kiba's side, making the boy shiver with revulsion. "Next, I'll slowly cut you up, drinking your life's essence."

"Get the fuck off me you freak!" Kiba was starting to panic. When put in situations like this, where things were out of his control, Kiba would frequently get panic attacks; a little secret he would never reveal to anyone (although he had suspicions Shino knew). As was his luck lately, he just so happened to be having one of his attacks. He began thrashing around, trying to escape his captor. His body started shaking and he began growling low in his throat. The man gave a smile and ground his hips against Kiba's, earning himself a little scream. "Stop that! Get off! Get off!"

Break-

Kankuro was making his way towards where Kiba was. Shino has sent him to go get the dog-boy much to his chagrin. The forest around him was quiet…for a moment. The peace shattered and Akamaru's bark could be heard. Kankuro squinted down in the dark as he watched a white blur race out and jump on him. Something was wrong.

Akamaru ran off with Kankuro right behind. Viscous snarling filled his ears as he got closer. He stopped in the tree line next to the clearing. In the middle was Kiba, stomach down, with a large man pinning him. Kiba was struggling beneath him, thrashing around in a panic. Kankuro saw red…

Instantly, Kankuro whipped out Karasu, without a single thought in his head except for his fury at the man who had the brunette pinned. With a snap of his wrist, Kankuro sent out Karasu, daggers emerging from its limbs. The man however, must have noticed his arrival, for he instantly rolled out of the puppet's range, holding a now unconscious Kiba to his chest. Kankuro let out a feral hiss and stepped out into the clearing. The man gave a smile and dropped Kiba's limp body to the ground. The 'thud' resounded in Kankuro's ears, sending him into a heated frenzy.

Kankuro threw out smoke screens, letting out Kuroari and separating Karasu into his separate knifes. He sent the puppets into the smoke. A branch cracked behind him. The man had now tackled _him_. Kankuro let go of his puppets and roared in anger while the man let out a cruel chuckle. What he wasn't expecting however, was for Kankuro to fight back using a more clever then physical approach. Kankuro, using his string, flipped the two of them, so that he was now straddling the captor. The other had no time to react as Kankuro quickly dug his hands into the flesh at his neck; squeezing out all his rage, wanting only for the man to die. He squeezed tighter and tighter, until the man's head lolled in his grasp.

With a surprised yell, Kankuro was pulled away from the unconscious body. He heard a calm voice behind him as sturdy hands continued to hold him back. "Hinata, bind the man and make sure the bonds are tight."

Kankuro fought against Shino's surprisingly strong grip. "I'm not letting go until you calm down." Kankuro slowly felt his fury ebb at the words, until eventually he stood still, glad now for Shino's support. He felt his strength drain away with his anger until he felt himself shaking. He had almost strangled a man to death with his bare hands. What the hell was wrong with him? "You can tell us about it when we get back to camp." Shino let go of his arms and went over to pick up Kiba. Kankuro turned and took a dizzying step towards camp. All he could see in his head was the remnants of his anger; how he'd wanted to spill the man's blood all over his hands and onto the ground. It frightened him to no end.


	23. Ch22 a change of feelings

Author's Note: A couple things about this chapter. #1-I used this chapter to show how affected people are by the whole situation (aka-everyone deserves to have a breakdown once in a while). #2-Helps me set up things for the sequel (which I have mentioned before). #3-Lets me have a little fun :) hehe...By the way, the next chapter does go back to Gaara so don't fret!

Team Shikamaru sat around a burning campfire. The smoke curled up into the sky as the sound of Naruto's voice continued to ring throughout the campsite. Temari rubbed her temples. After almost a month of being stuck with this group she slowly felt herself going insane. Sakura was a whiny tick in her ear. Naruto was an annoyance beyond compare. And Shikamaru…Temari's eye twitched. He was lazy, inconsiderate, and cynical; three things she absolutely could not stand. She'd never actually admit that deep down she was growing quite used to his constant wit, his amazing analytical skills, his wide-expanding knowledge, and more then anything else, his ability and will to challenge her.

Temari reached out and grabbed hold of her cup of tea. She swallowed it down in one gulp, the heat burning a path down her throat. She turned her focus to the flame and stared. For almost a month now they had been searching for Gaara with no results. How could he just vanish like that? No evidence, no suspects. Her eyes narrowed. She just couldn't believe it. The brother she had put so much effort forth into rebuilding the sibling relationship with, the brother she had tended in his wounded state, the brother she had helped care for in the past five months had completely disappeared.

Glass shattered. Temari had gripped her glass so hard she had completely crushed it. She dropped the broken shards with a curse, blood dripping down her hand and spattering the ground. Noticing, Naruto stood with a yell, Sakura gasped and ran to her side, and Shikamaru let out a groan. With precise movements, Sakura began pulling out the glass from her hand. While Naruto continued to gape, Shikamaru ran a hand down his face and sighed. "Are you alright?"

Temari's lip curled. "Of _course_ I'm all right. Why wouldn't I be?"

Shikamaru laced his hands together beneath his chin and gave her a hard stare. "Temari. You need to reign in your temper and your emotions. I understand that you're worried and frustrated, but we can't have that endangering our mission. If you keep on acting like this I'll have to send you back to Konoha where you'll be confined until the mission's over."

Temari's eyes narrowed and she felt a shiver run down her spine. He sounded serious. "You wouldn't, _no_, you couldn't do something like that."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "If you don't pick up your act, you'll only be a danger to your brother. Do you really want that? Besides, you're outnumbered. We could and we _would_ take you back if need be. You do realize that it would only delay our search, right? I'd prefer not to waste our valuable search time, although I'm not sure how you feel about that right now."

Temari felt her anger subside at his words. She looked away and fell silent. She was so angry at herself. Her emotions had been running out of whack more and more often. This wasn't the first time Shikamaru had had to talk sense into her. She felt disappointment course through her veins. She made a lousy older sister. She couldn't protect him when they were kids and she couldn't protect him now that he was older. In moments like this, she truly felt useless. Never in her life had she ever let someone down so badly. She hung her head as Sakura finished wrapping her hand. A single tear slithered down her cheek. _'Please forgive me Gaara.'_

Sakura patted her hand and stood, walking back to her spot. The tear fell to the earth and Temari raised her head. "If you'll all excuse me for a moment…" Temari got up and walked away. She didn't care where she was going or how she got there, she just wanted to escape herself. She felt a crazed laugh trickle out of her throat. Apparently insanity ran in the family, for Temari was feeling a bit crazy right then.

She kept on walking until she saw a break in the trees. She stepped out into the moonlight and onto the edge of a cliff. With a 'plop', she sat on the edge and looked out into the sky. To comfort herself, like many girls often do, she pulled her knees to her chest and held on tight. Looking out into the star-lit sky, a swell of depression swept her. She was so used to being the strong girl, the brave girl, the outspoken girl. However, there were times when even she wanted to be a normal, quiet girl who could hug and laugh and smile, without any thought to the future or to the past; something that was impossible for one such as her.

A shadow covered her. She waited until the person sat down before she spoke. "Why'd you come out here?"

His voice came out controlled and detached, just like always. "This is so troublesome, all of it."

A wry smile crossed her face. "I usually don't say this, so don't expect to ever hear it again; I'm sorry. I _have _been acting out of line."

Shikamaru leaned back on his hands. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Temari chuckled. "That's a first. A guy actually offering his ear to listen to the ramblings of a chick…"

"You don't know the meaning of patience until you've spent a week at my house with _my _parents. It's enough to drive a normal person insane."

Temari gave a twisted smile. "My family was lost to madness the moment my father married my mother. I don't even remember a time when things were peaceful."

"But you've turned out fine."

Temari looked over at Shikamaru and snorted. "Right, I'm a perfect role model for little kids. I'm a tough acting girl that can't even protect her own brother. Some person I've turned out to be huh?"

"You couldn't help the situation. You didn't even know someone was after Gaara. How _could_ you have known? Ignorance is nothing to be ashamed off. We all are ignorant of one thing or another."

Tears streaked down Temari's cheeks unheeded. "Then why do I feel so useless? I'm a ninja damn it! But I don't know what to do. I don't know what to think anymore. If I really was a strong person I should be able to do _something_. But all our efforts are _pointless_; nothing we do makes a difference. Gaara's still missing and no one's found a trace of him. I hate it. I hate myself for being so _fucking_ weak and so _fucking _worthless."

Shikamaru mumbled a half-hearted 'troublesome' before reaching over and pulling her to him. "We _are _doing something. We're _trying_. That's what counts. We are putting all our efforts towards a common purpose, and as long as we keep on going and don't give up, we _will_ find Gaara. Even if it takes a month or a year, we _can _make a difference. We can _try_."

Temari turned her face into Shikamaru's shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her shoulders shook with the effort to hold in her tears. Shikamaru held on tight, resting his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes. "Temari, if you, his own sister, gives up, then we'll never find him. You have to believe we'll find him or he'll be lost to us forever."

She tightened her hold and let the sobs rack her body. They sat together for what seemed like hours, until her sobs subsided and her body stopped shaking. "Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru didn't move from his spot. "Hmm?"

"You tell anyone about this and I'll kill you."

He smiled against her shoulder. "Troublesome woman."

She slowly pulled back, her arms loosely hung around his neck as she reverted back to her normal self. Giving a smirk, Temari moved up on her knees, adjusting herself to straddle Shikamaru's waist. "You know," she said, sitting on his lap, "usually when you comfort a woman, it's required that you give her a kiss to finish the conversation."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her bold move. Smirking back at her he tightened his arms around her back. "Well, then, I guess I still have something I need to do before we can go back to camp."

"Oh, definitely." Temari made the first movement. Leaning her face in, she waited, refusing to move any more until he completed the gesture. Shikamaru let out a muttered 'troublesome' before grabbing her head and fiercely smashing their lips together.

Break-

Temari and Shikamaru returned to camp. Their faces were flushed and one of Temari's buns had been sloppily tied back up into its place. Naruto glanced at them and turned back to playing with his knife, completely oblivious to what had happened. Sakura looked up and felt her jaw drop. They didn't…

Temari glanced at her and glared at her for staring, a blush spreading over her cheeks. Oh God. _They did_. Sakura immediately looked away. In a state of complete shock, she stood up. She grabbed a canteen and gave a forced smile. "I'm um…going to uh…get some water." She quickly walked away, her steps quickening the farther she got and a scowl gracing her features. Why did it seem like everyone but her had someone? Hell, Naruto even had someone, although he didn't even realize it himself. Sakura let out a disappointed sigh. _'Oh well, I'm still young. Maybe I'll be able to find someone by the time I'm thirty…'_ Sakura shuddered at the thought. She prayed to God _that_ didn't happen.

Author's Note: No, they didn't have sex. They made out. End of story.


	24. Ch23 preparing

Author's Note: Yes, I am quite aware that this chapter is a bit short. Cutting it off later would have ruined the flow. I would have posted this chapter a day or two ago, but FF was being screwy and wouldn't let me upload any documents. So I apologize for that. Just so you all know, there will not be any more chapters that go back to Temari and Shikamaru's group. There is one more chapter that goes back to Kiba and Kankuro, but that's not till a few chapters from now. I don't really have anything else to say, so I'll see everyone next chapter!

It was less then a week away from the one month mark. Gaara hadn't seen the Uchiha since his bitch out in the dining hall. _Good._ Gaara was glad. It created less stress, and in his current state stress was not something he was particularly thrilled about. He had gained so much weight that his back hurt often and he easily overexerted himself. To top it off, he was still puking often and he constantly felt sore. Life just downright sucked for Gaara. He hadn't thought it could get any worse. He was wrong.

Gaara woke up late. He was sleeping more then ever now, his body zapping away any strength he used to have. It was already around lunch time and Gaara had yet to even change out of his nightgown. Gaara was sitting on the edge of the bed when the door opened to reveal a grinning Orochimaru. Uh oh; that expression had never boded well for the red-head. "Gaara, my sweet, so glad to see you're awake. I have a present for you."

Gaara's nonexistent brows scrunched together. "A present?" he said with suspicion.

"Oh, I think you'll like this one." His wicked smile spread wider. "You see Gaara," he said as he motioned Kabuto in through the door, "tonight is a very special occasion. All of my closest men and allies are coming to my mansion this evening. After our conference, I invited all of them to bring their own 'pets' so we can have a little ball of sorts. And you Gaara are mine." Gaara gave Orochimaru the, you-have-to-be-fucking-kidding-me glare. Orochimaru continued on, faking ignorance as his smirk encompassed his entire face. "For the party, I had a special outfit made for you. Alright Kabuto, bring it out."

Gaara turned his glare to Kabuto as if the man was the one who had committed the travesty. Kabuto shook his head and smiled. He set the box he held on the ground before opening it. He first pulled out the top. Gaara's jaw dropped. The top was a fitted long sleeve black chemise. But this isn't what made Gaara's eye begin to twitch. It was the fact that the top was made out a thin, silk fabric, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. Gaara might as well not wear anything at all for all that the shirt hid.

Kabuto reached down and pulled out the next item, making Gaara choke. The bottom was a calf length, black kilt. The front of it bunched together, making the part facing front rise up to just above knee height. A sash was sewn into the kilt, adorned with emeralds and rubies of different shapes and sizes, flashing in the light.

Gaara mentally felt himself shutting down. But then, the final piece was pulled out of the box, making Gaara want to hurl where he stood. Kabuto took out a black, leather collar, dotted with jewels matching the ones on the kilt. Gaara let out a fierce growl. "There is no way in _hell_ I'm going to wear that!"

Orochimaru laughed and then sighed. "You only have one other option Gaara."

Snarling, Gaara stared at him. "And what's that?"

"Why, to go in the nude of course!"

Gaara's eyes narrowed as Orochimaru continued. "But since I know you wouldn't dream of that, I'll leave you with Kabuto who will help you get ready. I'll be seeing you tonight Gaara." With that Orochimaru was gone, leaving a fuming red-head behind.

Break-

Nearly five hours later, Gaara stood in the bathroom with Kabuto, fed, showered, and dolled up. Any pride Gaara might have had had left the building once he had donned his new _outfit_. He looked at the mirror with a scowl. Not only did he have to wear one of the most outlandish looking outfits he had ever seen, but Gaara also had to have make-up applied. For what reason this was, Gaara did not know. From his eyes, two black lines swirled out in opposite directions, each lined with small diamonds (Gaara still had yet to figure out how they stayed on his face) and on his lips, a faint red lipstick had been put on, making his lips puff out in what Kabuto called a 'sexy manner'.

"You know Gaara, if you continue to frown like that, you'll start to get wrinkles."

Gaara turned on Kabuto with a defiant stare. "I'm going to frown as much as I fucking want. I'm wearing a fucking _skirt_ right now. You think I'm happy about wearing this, let alone being _seen_ in this?"

"It's called a kilt."

Gaara snapped back, "Skirt, kilt, I don't fucking care. What I want is to be in _normal_ clothes with _no fucking make-up on_!"

Kabuto sighed. "Sorry Gaara but this is what Orochimaru wants you to wear."

Gaara looked down, grinding his teeth together. This had to be the most humiliating moment of his life. Kabuto spoke up again, "It looks like it's time to go Gaara. Now remember, I know you don't like this, but don't throw a fit. You're pregnant and overexerting yourself will only do them harm. Now, let's go find Orochimaru."

They left the bathroom and walked down a hall Gaara had never seen before. At the end of the hall was a set of double doors, reaching up as high as the ceiling. Gaara looked at Kabuto. "Are you going?"

"I'm Orochimaru's eyes and ears; I go to _everything._" He gazed at the red-head pointedly before stopping. Orochimaru appeared as if from no where and a smile of pure malice and lust crossed his face. "Why Gaara, you look beautiful." He took a step closer and ran a finger through Gaara's wild hair. "Shall we?" Orochimaru held out his hand to Gaara who stared at it for a good minute before taking it. The snake-man smirked and Gaara frowned as they turned towards the double doors. Kabuto went to the doors and began pushing them open. A flash of light hit Gaara in the eye, momentarily blinding him. Through his haze, he heard Kabuto's distinct voice ring out throughout the hall. "Orochimaru and his servant, Gaara."

Author's Note: Concerning the outfit: when I say fitted, I mean it in the stretchy way that stretches when you're putting it on, but clings to you once it's actually on your body. Also the 'kilt' is not like a scottish man's kilt. It's meant to have a Egyptian look to it. And yes, people called those skirt things the Egyptians wore kilts. I don't know why...


	25. Ch24 the ball

Author's Note: Woo! Next Chapter! I have **finally** found the time to post! This chapter and the next one are very important chapters. This one may not seem like it, but it leads into the next one which is _VERY_ important! I did say that it was going to be around 30 chapters! And I was _very_ correct...I'm not going to tell you exactly how many more there are, cause that would ruin all the fun! I'd also like to thank those who reviewed the last two chapters. Cause, uh, lets see, I got, three and four reviews? That is quite pathetic my dear fans! Oh, well +sigh+, I will just have to go on without your support +sigh+. I'm just messin' with you guys! I've never before asked for reviews and I'm not starting now. That's just not my style. But, it does tell me that you guys care...He He...Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I'll see you all next update!

Gaara had never felt such anger as he did this day. Orochimaru was parading him about the room like some sort of trophy wife. Each of the attendants had with them a 'pet', all of them in a similar state to Gaara's. The only thing that made him happier in any way was the fact that compared to some of the others, he was covered completely. Many of the men slaves wore nothing more then a flimsy loin cloth. For the women there it was even worse. Many of them wore the same gauzy material that Gaara did, barely covering their lower regions, let alone their breasts. They might as well have gone naked.

The thing that irked Gaara more then anything though was the constant attention that the others paid to his stomach. He hated it. An extreme protective instinct was kicking in and it didn't like all these men staring at him as if he were Orochimaru's cattle. What was even worse then the condescending stares were the looks assuming that Gaara was a fresh piece of meat up for grabs. If at any time Gaara had wanted to be sick, now would be that time. He wanted to lash out at all passing by. No amount of music and punch would be able to dispel his overemotional defensive state, one could tell just by how stiff he stood and how tightly he dug his hand into Orochimaru's arm.

They left another group of people to continue on to a new portion of the room. Orochimaru set his lips next to Gaara's ear and whispered, "Lighten up my pet. I want you to make a good impression on my allies and I won't have you screwing it up because you're _scared_."

"Oh fuck off! I'm not scared! I just hate the fact that you're showing me off like I'm you're whore!"

Orochimaru smiled and looked up. "Ah and here's my newest student. I believe the two of you have met?"

Gaara looked up to find Uchiha Sasuke leaning against the wall with an angry scowl set upon his lips. Gaara's eyes darkened. "Yes, we are acquaintances, but nothing more."

Sasuke lifted his gaze at Gaara's voice. A nasty smirk lit his features, mocking the red-head. His eyes just screamed what he was thinking. _'Not a slut eh?'_ Gaara's eyes narrowed as Sasuke opened his mouth to speak. "Hello Gaara. Enjoying your alone time with Orochimaru?"

Gaara didn't answer; Orochimaru did the talking for him. "Why yes, Sasuke. Gaara and I have been enjoying one another's company _very _much. Isn't that right my pet?" Orochimaru wrapped an arm around Gaara's waist and pulled him close. Gaara looked up and gave him the best glare that he could.

Gaara let out a fierce whisper. "Maybe if you weren't _touching_ me." Gaara said the word as if it were the deadliest of all sins.

"Oh, all right Gaara." Orochimaru sighed dramatically. "The punch table is over there. Get us some punch. I have something I wish to discuss with my pupil." Orochimaru pushed Gaara in the direction of the punch table, turning away his attention completely as if Gaara wasn't there. The red-head gave a small sigh, finally glad to be rid of the snake-man's touch.

Gaara walked across the room slowly, watching everyone and avoiding all human contact. Gaara could swear he had seen some of the men there; however, without forehead protectors or any form of identification, Gaara couldn't place any of them. He reached the punch table, his breath now labored from the long walk. He glanced over his shoulder and growled; it wasn't even that long of a walk. Trying to ignore his frailty, Gaara turned back to the table and began pouring two glasses of punch.

Gaara jumped as a cool hand brushed its way up his spine. Soft breath caressed his ear as an unidentifiable voice began to speak to him. "You know, I was quite surprised to see Sabaku no Gaara here, of all people. They did a good job dressing you up. You look positively appetizing, even in your _condition_."

Gaara whipped around. A bulky man with large brown eyes and ragged chestnut hair stood no more then two inches away from him. "What do you want?" The red-head said in a dead-pan voice.

"Why, didn't you know Gaara? At balls such as these, it's customary for attendants to share their slaves with the others. So I'm quite in my rights to have you."

Gaara felt a weight of fear drop in the pit of his stomach. Despite his fear, his voice came out calm as ever. "Even the host?"

The man chuckled. "It's a requirement for the host to supply his allies and followers with _companions_ for the evening."

Gaara's non-existent eyebrow rose. "I doubt Orochimaru would like it very much if you took without asking."

The man grabbed hold of Gaara's arm. "I don't have to ask. I can just take."

The man started dragging a resisting Gaara along. A person or two noticed this and looked at them curiously. The guy smiled at them. "I picked a feisty one." This lightened the others up and they all let out a laugh. Gaara was dragged out a different set of doors then when he came in. By the time they reached what Gaara suspected was his room, the red-head was thrashing about with all his might. But the man had triple Gaara's strength and he easily pushed him into the room. The door closed and Gaara stood still, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

"Do you know what the collars are for Gaara?" Gaara glowered at him, not wanting to hear the answer. "Well I'll tell you. It's a collar of submission. When the slaves fight situations like this all we have to do is say a few simple words and you are completely helpless. Ah, I see you finally understand your situation."

The man said a few whispered words. Gaara's knees collapsed beneath him. He struggled to get up, but he couldn't even get one foot on the ground, let alone stand completely. Gaara looked up into the eyes of what looked like to him in that moment, _a monster_.

Break-

Kabuto was standing near the doors, conversing with a fellow follower when Orochimaru himself approached him. Although his voice was neutral enough, Kabuto knew that Orochimaru's eyes were deadly, ready to kill anyone in sight, although for what reason he didn't know. "Kabuto; have you seen Gaara by chance? He seems to have lost his way while going to the punch bowl and back." _Oh_; now Kabuto understood.

"No, I haven't, but I'm sure he's fine wherever he may be."

The man who had been speaking with Kabuto looked over at Orochimaru. "Are you talking about the red-head you had on your arm earlier?"

Orochimaru whirled on him, a smile on his face. "Yes, that'd be the one."

The man gave him a confused look. "Didn't you know?"

"Know what?" Orochimaru's voice was turning lethal.

"Zaki left with him just a couple minutes ago. I thought you'd know."

Kabuto noticed the flash of rage in Orochimaru's eyes. "No, I didn't, but I'm sure Zaki and I will be able to clear up this little mishap right away."

Orochimaru left through the double doors, Kabuto right behind him. The snake-man's tense muscles just screamed his instinct to slaughter. Kabuto just hoped he wouldn't have to clean up _too much_ blood tonight.


	26. Ch25 goodbye

Author's Note: It has come to a major turning point in the story. Woohoo! It is not an extremely long chapter, but it is an important one! Hehe. Alright, so, last chapter, it came to my attention that some people have been wondering about the whole Lee thing. I understand that you guys are curious and you want to see him again; however, I do have my reasons for him not being in the story at this point. Do you guys remember how I didn't have Lee's reaction chapter when he learned of the babies? It's the same concept here. Would you really want to read a chapter that was so predictable? It just wasn't all that important to write about Lee's depressing, anxious, worried days as he scoured the land for his lost love. I had other things in the story that _**had**_ to happen for events to work out the way I wanted them too. I apologize if you guys wanted to read a chapter about Lee. I hope you don't hate me for it and stop reading. The finale _is_ something worth waiting for! And if it's any consolation, you'll be seeing Lee in a couple chapters from now.

Gaara didn't know what to think. He was lying helpless in the center of a large bed, striped of his shirt and about to be raped, yet **again**. The man towered over him, smiling at Gaara's prone form. Gaara scowled at him. "Do you get some sort of sick pleasure from raping preg-"

"Do you really need to ask that?"

Gaara's eye began to twitch. What was it with these psycho paths who wanted to rape him? He was pregnant for crying out loud! Was his unbelievably fat body _that_ attractive to the male population? Gaara just couldn't figure it out.

The man (whose name he still had yet to figure out) started tugging at Gaara's kilt, grinning like the fool who'd just found a treasure mine. Gaara closed his eyes praying that by some stroke of luck he'd be able to escape this loony.

An odd turn of events happened just then for Gaara. The door burst open, revealing a livid Orochimaru. Orochimaru's voice came out a bloodcurdling hiss. "Zaki…when did I _ever_ say that I was willing to share _my_ pet?"

Zaki jumped off the bed and took a step back, terror filling his eyes. Orochimaru quickly strode to him, grabbing a firm hold of his shirt and tossing him into a nearby wall. His body crumbled to the floor, but Orochimaru wasn't done. He flashed next to Zaki, lifting him up onto his feet. Orochimaru's hand disappeared and a moment later the metallic smell of blood filled the room, a kunai dug deep into Zaki's stomach. The snake master twisted the blade, earning himself a scream. Blood ran down Orochimaru's forearm, dripping onto the floor in bright spatters.

Kabuto stepped up to Orochimaru's side completely calm, as if his master wasn't tearing apart a man's insides. He placed a hand on Orochimaru's blood drenched arm and softly murmured, "I think that's enough."

Orochimaru gave one final twist before drawing out the blade. His breath came out in a huff and his glazed eyes turned to Kabuto. "Make sure he's healed properly. I'm going to change. I don't want to make a bad impression on our guests." Orochimaru looked at Gaara and snapped his fingers. Instantly, the invisible bonds loosened and Gaara was free to clumsily sit up again. Orochimaru gave him a domineering look. "Put on your shirt and follow me, you're going to help me dress." He turned to Zaki and growled. "If I _ever _find you near Gaara again, you'll wish that knife had killed you."

Gaara glowered at his captor before putting on his shirt and following him out the door. Kabuto began to tend to Zaki's wounds; however, the only thing going through his head was the insanity of his master and the little red-head who'd caused it all. _'Perhaps,'_ Kabuto thought while working, _'Master Orochimaru is getting a bit too attached to his newest weapon…'_

Break-

It was now past the one month mark and Gaara felt the walls beginning to close in on him. He walked very little nowadays and was rarely let out of his room. Orochimaru had him confined. Gaara knew it had to do with what had happened at the party, but what he didn't understand was _why_ Orochimaru was so angry about it. It wasn't like he didn't do the same act to Gaara himself. The only solution Gaara could come up with was that the snake man felt that Gaara was his to control and by Zaki raping him it would have undermined his authority. This thought irked Gaara to his limits. He was never Orochimaru's in the first place. If the man thought so he was sorely mistaken.

Dressed in a comfortable pair of pants that hung from below his belly and a huge billowing shirt that effectively covered him, Gaara was ready to do something. He sat on the corner of his bed, swinging his feet. It was night time Gaara knew, for Orochimaru never came at night. However, this night turned out to be a bit different then Gaara had expected.

Kabuto opened the door, smiling at the red-head. He held his hands behind his back while he entered. "Gaara, glad to see you're awake. I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Walking over in front of Gaara, Kabuto pulled a sack from behind his back. "This pack," he began, "has enough supplies to last one such as you a good three to four weeks. It's light and easily carried because most of the food is ready made. Inside there is also a canteen, an extra set of clothes, and a pillow. In addition to these items, there is a pack of vitamins that a pregnant man would want to take everyday to keep up his strength. And if one wanted to get to Konoha from here they would head southeast once leaving the compound."

Gaara looked up at Kabuto confused. "What the hell are you saying Kabuto?"

Kabuto stood up and held out a hand to Gaara. "Now come. We don't have much time."

They left the room and to Gaara's surprise, there was no guard by the door. Kabuto halted for a moment and turned. He held out a small pill. "You better take this. You'll need it if you want to get a good head start." Gaara took the pill without question, following Kabuto through a winding labyrinth of hallways. They walked out a small side door.

For the first time in over a month, Gaara felt the chill of fresh air on his skin. He breathed in a huge sigh, loving the smell of the wilderness more then he ever had before. He turned his eyes skyward and saw the wide expanse of the universe staring back at him as if it'd never before seen such a creature as himself.

Kabuto broke him out of his daydream by grabbing a hold of his shoulders and looking him square in the eye. "Now Gaara; I want you to walk away. I want you to walk away from here and never look back. I want you to not question why you came or why you're leaving. Just know that the time is right and that it is time for you to finally return home. Now go. _That_ is the direction you desire. Goodbye Gaara."

Gaara opened his mouth to reply, but Kabuto had already disappeared. Gaara was alone again in the world. It was him and his babies against nature. He decided right then and there that he would not fail this journey. He would not fail this test. Fate for once was with him and he would not dawdle in wait for the next terrible event to hit him. A new chapter of his life began.


	27. Ch26 fight to the death

Author's Note: This is the last chapter that features Kiba and Kankuro's little adventure +sigh+ and I had so much fun writing about them too. Oh, well. So, it took a little bit longer then usual to update. Sorry about that, but I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately with tests and homework and working on the sequel. Last night I was going to update but my body revolted and fell in love with the couch. It was a good nap I must say. Anyways, I'm babbling. On with the story!

The group was moving as such; Kiba and Hinata were first, Shino took the middle with the prisoner, and Kankuro brought up the rear. Their captive had kept quiet throughout their travels choosing silence over answers. Shino had refused Kankuro and Kiba's idea of torture, so they had yet to get anything resolved. It had already been a week and they were en route to Konoha. The group came to a halt besides a river, filling their canteens and taking a break. Akamaru even went so far as to fall asleep. Shino decided that now was as good of a time as ever to conduct an interrogation, so he sent Kankuro and Kiba away, feeling it was better to do it alone. The last time had been a disaster when the two of them were around. In fact, Kankuro had had to be tied down the last time. Shino sighed and stood up.

Break-

The two walked away, not paying mind to where they were heading. Yet again, once out of earshot, Kiba brought up the uncomfortable subject of _that_ day, since no one would tell him what had happened. Kiba was determined. "So tell me again, what happened?"

Kankuro sighed irritably. "You passed out. The guy tackled me. I flipped him. I knocked him out. End of story."

Kiba bounded in front of Kankuro and stopped. "There is something you guys aren't telling me. What really happened?"

Kankuro moved to step around Kiba, but Kiba of course, moved with him. "Drop it okay? I don't want to talk about it."

"What the hell are you so afraid of?" Kiba snarled.

Kankuro's eyes widened then narrowed. "Fine." Kankuro snapped. "You really want to know?" Kankuro stalked towards the dog-boy who in turn backed up instinctively. Kiba's back hit a tree and Kankuro stepped up close, his breath feathering Kiba's face. Kankuro's voice rasped out in a fierce whisper. "I walked into the clearing and attacked that sick bastard. When I had him pinned I didn't think. All I wanted was to kill that man for what he did to you." Kankuro shuddered. "I started strangling him. And if Shino hadn't come around…I would have strangled him to death. Sorry if I don't like reliving the thoughts of me trying to murder someone with my bare hands."

"Because of what he was doing to me?" Kiba breathed.

Kankuro slammed his hands on the tree next to Kiba's head. "Yes." He growled. "I almost strangled a man because of you. And I don't like it. I don't understand _why_."

Kiba smirked. Kankuro hissed before slamming his body up against Kiba's, taking the other's lips in a crushing kiss. Kankuro wasn't thinking. All he wanted was to wipe that smirk off of Kiba's face. For a moment, Kiba was too in shock to react, but a moment later, Kiba had his arms wrapped around Kankuro's neck, pressing their bodies closer together and kissing him back with a fierce intensity. Kankuro pushed him back roughly against the tree, grabbing hold of Kiba's leg and grinding their hips together. Kiba pulled back with a deep-throated snarl.

Kiba immediately turned his face into Kankuro's neck, licking and nipping at the sensitive flesh with his fangs. Kankuro shuddered against him, his breath coming out in a rush. Without pulling back, Kiba went on to rip at Kankuro's clothes. Using his claws, he tore Kankuro's shirt clean in half, the article of clothing falling to the ground in a heap. Kiba licked at the now open range of skin, breathing in the smell of Kankuro's smooth flesh. Kiba ran his hands up the blocky yet muscular frame, drawing the other's attention.

Even with all the attention he was receiving, Kankuro was unsatisfied. He wanted to see Kiba naked and he wanted to see it _right now_. Grabbing hold of the zipper, Kankuro ripped it down with an impatient force. 'Snap!' The zipper had been torn off. With an enraged roar, Kankuro tore open Kiba's jacket, forcing the other's arms down so the jacket could drop to the ground. Kankuro worked his hands under Kiba's mesh shirt, earning himself a moan. Grabbing hold of Kiba's head, Kankuro forced it up, catching his lips in another feral kiss. Kankuro broke away for only a second. "Drop the pants."

Break-

Shino still had yet to get anywhere with the prisoner. The only thing he had revealed was that they were in _'his master's'_ territory and that _'his master'_ would kill them if he found them. Shino sighed in frustration. This was getting him nowhere. He really wanted to be back at Konoha and let Ibiki have his way with the captive. For once, Shino just wanted a nice warm bed.

Shino looked up as Hinata sat beside him, the prisoner now unconscious (much to Hinata's relief). "Umm…Shino…Akamaru just left to find the others. They've been gone for a really long time. Do you think they're alright?"

"Those two can handle themselves."

"Do you know how long we have till we reach Konoha?"

"Don't worry." Shino turned to her. "We'll be back soon."

The crick and crack of branches sounded, causing Hinata to unconsciously jump behind Shino. She grasped his jacket firmly, her hands shaking. But worry was pointless. It was only—Kankuro…and…Kiba…Hinata gasped and Shino's eyebrow shot up. Hinata yelled out, "A-are you two alright? What happened?"

The two were in quite a state. Kankuro's lower half may have been in tact, but his upper was definitely not. His shirt was torn straight down the middle. With the movement of his body, one could occasionally see glimpses of claw and bite marks, dried blood doting the flesh. Kiba was worse. His jacket was open permanently (the zipper broken) and the pieces of his mesh shirt were in one hand. To top it off, he was limping horribly, his other hand gripping Kankuro's shoulder.

Kiba just gave her a laugh and flashed his toothy grin. "We're okay Hinata. We just, uh-" All of a sudden, a bright blush lit his cheeks. "We just uh-"

"We fought." Kankuro's face was clear of all emotion; more appropriately, he seemed to be in shock.

Hinata gave them a distressed look. "B-but why?"

Kiba joined back in. "Aw, it was nothing. We just didn't agree on something, that's all."

Shino stood up, his expression hidden behind the glasses. "I know many of your feelings have been unrealized until now, but wait until we get back to Konoha to do that again. I don't want you two distracted." Shino knew what had transpired and Kiba and Kankuro realized this. They nodded their heads and went to get new clothes from their packs.

Break-

Kiba slowly opened his eyes, glancing at the others to make sure they were asleep. He snuck outside and looked over at Hinata who was standing watch. When he felt safe from notice, he dashed down the river. Stripping down, Kiba jumped into the tepid water, shaking drops of water from his hair. He began scrubbing his skin, thoughts of earlier floating through his brain. Why did he do it? What had made him pant and whine and beg for more? What did he really feel towards Kankuro?

Kiba could almost swear he could feel the bite of the bark against his flesh, the stretch and pull of his body as it made room for the intrusion, the soft breath on his neck as Kankuro licked his way up the delicate flesh. A shudder ran down his body and the water seemed to turn twenty degrees cooler.

A splash broke through the erotic thoughts plaguing Kiba's mind. He glanced over his shoulder, but the figure was undistinguishable in the dark; however, the smell was unmistakable. Kiba remained still as the figure stepped up behind him, pressing his naked body against Kiba's own. Firm, calloused hands ran up his sides, making Kiba toss his head back onto the other's shoulder with a small pant.

Kankuro bit down on Kiba's shoulder, causing the other to let out a whimper as he desperately made a grab at Kankuro's hair. Kankuro's strong arms wrapped tightly around Kiba's waist and with a release of air Kankuro dug his face into the dip between shoulder and neck. Kankuro spoke, his voice muffled. "What exactly does this mean?"

"I think-" Kiba lost his train of thought for a moment when Kankuro thrust his hips forward. Kiba growled, pushing back. "I think you-" He let out a strangled cry as Kankuro dug his hands into Kiba's hips and tugged back hard. They began rocking against each other until Kankuro had Kiba mewling for more. "I-if you're going to-" Kiba let out a hoarse cry. "Fuck! Just FUCK ME!" Kankuro lifted his hips and thrust in. All breath left Kiba's lungs, leaving his mouth agape in a silent scream. The rhythm was wild and desperate, erratic and crazed. Kiba gripped onto Kankuro's forearms, his sharp nails biting through skin. "Fuck! Harder damn it!"

The nearly waist high water splashed around the two lovers. The small waves were soon colored white, not that any could see. The water slowly stilled as the two stood motionless, both panting hard and struggling to keep standing. "I think," Kiba panted, "you just found yourself a boyfriend."

Kankuro slumped forward. "B-but I'm not gay."

Kiba actually laughed. "You can fool your mind but not your body."

"I just can't be."

"If you didn't want anything out of this why'd you just fuck me…_again_?"

"I-I-"

Kiba pulled himself off Kankuro with a hiss. He turned around and tossed his arms around Kankuro's shoulders, pulling his lean frame flush against Kankuro's. He let his head rest on Kankuro's shoulder before speaking. "If you didn't feel anything towards me you wouldn't be acting the way you are around that man. You wouldn't be mad at him for what he did to me if you didn't feel something."

Kankuro buried his face in Kiba's neck with a snarl. "What about you? How do _I _know this wasn't some one time fling to you?"

Kiba gave a deep, snorting laugh. "No one, except for you, has ever made me beg before..."

Break-

Akamaru was barking in Shino's ear. A swell of irritation hit him as he sat up, his deep sleep slowly fading away. He quickly cast aside the covers, immediately noticing the absence of the other two boys with a sigh. He stepped outside the tent and paused at the eerie silence. He looked over at where Hinata was supposed to be keeping watch and started in shock. The young kunoichi was unconsciousness and the captive's ropes lay broken on the ground. _Oh shit_. Where were Kankuro and Kiba?

Break-

Both shinobi were dressed, turning to go back to camp. Kiba stopped and turned to Kankuro with a scrutinizing look. "Do you smell that?"

Kankuro raised an eyebrow. "Yes, my sense of smell is suddenly the same as a dog's." Kiba glared at him, earning him a roll of the eyes.

The leaves in a nearby tree rustled and a voice rang out. "I wanted to give you a going away present for all the trouble you've caused me!" Kankuro wasted no time in pushing Kiba to the ground. But Kankuro wasn't quick enough to save himself. 'Thud!' Kankuro's body hit the ground, kunai sticking out of his chest.

Kiba ran to Kankuro's side with a yell. Sitting down on the ground, Kiba pulled Kankuro onto his lap. The dog-boy's eyes widened as he moved a shaking hand towards Kankuro's chest. His hand came back stained with blood. Kiba looked down. Kankuro's eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow, getting weaker by the second. Kiba hugged Kankuro closer. "Come on," he said, laughing weakly, "you're fine. You'll pull through. Y-you saved me! You're too tough to die like this. Kankuro?"

Kiba then noticed something he would have rather not seen. One of the kunai…was right next to Kankuro's heart. Kiba nearly whimpered at the sight. "Kankuro? Kankuro!" Kiba began screaming. "Hinata! Shino! AKAMARU!" Kiba grabbed a hold of Kankuro's shirt and growled out, "Don't you die on me you fucking bastard!"


	28. Ch27 traveling

Author's Note: About the chapter: Orochimaru let's his anger at Kabuto go quickly because let's think about this logically, does he want to admit Kabuto is right? and does he want to lose Kabuto who takes care of everything? Merry belated Christmas to all! I got the PS2 I wanted! Yay! The last couple chapters are short and too the point. Please don't kill the writer for the length! I just don't like filler shit! See all of ya soon!

"KABUTO!" Orochimaru stormed into Kabuto's room, his face a picture of fury. "Where the hell is Gaara?"

"He's on his way to Konoha." Kabuto replied calmly, as he continued to write.

"And _why_ exactly is he out there and not in here?"

Kabuto sighed and turned around, putting down his quill. Kabuto ignored the look of rage on his master's face and spoke the truth. "Because you were getting far to attached to the boy for your own good. He was a tool, nothing more. If you kept on getting so emotionally involved your plan would never have worked. You know Suna views Gaara as their weapon. If they were to ever find out where he was you would be dead. And if you did not let go of your feelings for him, it would kill you in the end."

Orochimaru gazed down at him. "And why the hell do you say that?"

Kabuto stared him straight in the face. "Because you wouldn't have had the will power to kill him."

"If he needs to die then why'd you let him go?"

"If we kept him here with us, he would have either needed to be turned to your side (which would never happen) or disposed of. By releasing him, we have given him the false security that we never wanted him for any particular reason in the first place."

Orochimaru smirked at Kabuto, his anger slowly ebbing away. "I remember now why I hired you."

Kabuto bowed his head before turning back to his desk. "Now sir, about what we were speaking of earlier…"

"Of course Kabuto, let's talk about that shall we?"

Break-

Gaara's feet dragged along the ground. How long had he been out here again? Two weeks? Three weeks? Gaara didn't really notice anymore. The red-head was exhausted, mentally and physically. He had probably gone the distance a normal person would have walked in four days as compared to his two and a half weeks. Walking in and of itself was a tiring feat. His back ached constantly and he was always tired. Sleeping on the ground without anything but a pillow wasn't helping much. As a result of his sleeping habits, his body was sorer then before, protesting at the slightest strain of muscles.

Gaara was currently walking alongside a river he figured must lead towards Konoha. He recalled a time when he had looked at a map of the world and noticed a long river that ran nearly the length of the chart. It started up near the northern borders of Grass Country and led all the way into Fire Country. It didn't quite reach Konoha, but it was pretty damn close. Gaara presumed this must be the river, seeing as he was in Grass Country the last time he'd checked. As long as he kept to the river, Gaara figured he'd be fine for the remainder of the journey. No need to look for water and if his food didn't last…well, fishing was an option, and there was always a first time for everything. Hell, if he was lucky enough, he might be able to find some Konoha ninja on the trip. That was what Gaara was hoping for anyways.

With an exhausted sigh, Gaara sat down, ready for another nap. Gaara took a pause as he was about to lie down. He could have sworn he heard something in the brush. _'Shukaku?'_

'_Yes Gaara?'_

'_Do you want to kill something?'_

Gaara could feel the smirk in his head. _'When would I ever answer that question no?'_

'_Then when I go to sleep, kill whoever it is that's out there. You can do it without using chakra. Besides, if it was a friend they'd have come out by now.'_

'_As you wish…Gaara.'_

Gaara flopped back into the grass, uncaring that a demon was about to use his body to kill. He was just too damn tired to care anymore. Without another thought, Sabaku no Gaara was dead asleep. And the man, who'd thought he was free, was completely unaware of the fate that lay in store for him…

Break-

Gaara awoke abruptly, turning over just in time to puke everywhere. The babies were kicking frantically in his belly, rejecting the metallic smell of fresh blood. Gaara immediately stripped, crawling to the water to bathe. When he was done, clean and changed, Gaara scrubbed his old set of clothes, trying desperately to get the blood out. Although he got most of the stains out, the smell still remained. Well, there went his last spare set of clothes. Now the only clothes he had were the ones on his back.

Gaara stared at the ruined clothes in irritation. He shoved them in his pack, not wanting anyone to find the dirty garments. With a wobble, Gaara stood and looked around him. A trail of blood led from his resting place to a large tree. An unidentifiable corpse lay in bloody ruins. His facial features were incomprehensible and bile soon ran up Gaara's throat.

Gaara stumbled off, trying to fight back the nasty taste in his mouth. He started on his journey again, surprised that he wasn't more remorseful about killing the other man. But then again, Gaara was fed up with people trying to catch him and use him. –cough- Orochimaru –cough-

His pace was ridiculously slow as he walked on. His swollen ankles were protesting, the tight skin on his protruding belly itched, and his back was constantly reminding him of what he was carrying. To top it off, his stomach, just recently, had decided to randomly spasm, making Gaara even more uncomfortable then he was before. Gaara hoped this would all be over soon. After all, he was getting extremely annoyed with this damn wilderness. The bugs, the dirt, the hard ground…etc, etc…the vein on his forehead popped out and he almost wished he was back in his bed at Orochimaru's. _Almost_.


	29. Ch28 shit!

Author's Note: We are closing in on the end+tear+. The story is wrapping up soon and I'll be sad when it ends! I am foretelling you that there definately _is_ an epilogue, and when I post the epilogue I will also be posting a final author's note. I highly recommend reading the final author's note. It has information about Devil in the Sand (including a timeline) and also has some explanations/previews of the the sequel. Don't miss it! Oh, and as for this chapter: welcome back Lee!

Lee jumped over stone and branch, his thoughts lost to the memories of his young red-headed lover, the one due to give birth to his children in less then a week. Time was running out. To say Lee was worried out his mind was an understatement. Even after nearly two months, he found his mind running in circles around Gaara. What if they didn't find him? Was Gaara dead? Were his babies still alive? A tear tickled down his cheek. _'We _will_ find you!'_

Tenten looked over at her companion and sighed. This mission had been quite difficult for her partner. But then again, who wouldn't be affected? Tenten knew that if she was in his position, she would be a frantic ball of nerves. Hell, even Neji was showing sympathy for their teammate's predicament. Neji needless to say, didn't show sympathy in the typical way one would expect (the stoic Hyuuga just didn't do the caring card well), but Tenten and Lee could still tell that he was giving Lee his support.

The group was on its way back to Konoha, their mission technically at an end. They had failed and this fact grated on Neji and Tenten's nerves. They **never** failed a mission. In fact, this had to be their first failure ever. To say their spirits were low was not an exaggeration. The team seemed to heave a sigh in unison as they continued on towards Konoha. The group slowed down and came to a halt when the vile smell of blood and rotting flesh wafted up their noses. Neji instantly activated his Byakugan and crinkled his nose. "There's a corpse a little ways up the river, but there is no one else in the vicinity."

The group nodded, deeming it safe, before proceeding up the river to where they found the rotting corpse. The man's body was mutilated beyond recognition seeing as animals had already found him and picked at his body for food. _Damn scavengers_. There were still a few splotches of blood on the ground next to the body and Neji bent down to examine it. "This body's been out here for nearly a week and a half. We probably won't be seeing his killer any time soon."

Tenten looked over at him. "So what do we do with the body?"

Neji gave her an emotionless face. "Leave it. There's nothing else we can do about it."

Break-

Good God; _finally_. Gaara stood at the top of a hill, having veered away from the river some time ago. Off in the distance, Gaara could see the tall towers of Konoha. He couldn't yet see the gates, but this was all he needed to feel elated at the prospect of a nice warm bed. His babies gave a little kick in acknowledgement as he slowly started down the hill.

A few more days and he'd be home. Just a few more days and he could lie down and sleep in a nice comfy bed. A few more days and he would be able to have a nice warm bath and relax his aching muscles. Just a few more days…and he could finally see Lee once again. Gaara wasn't quite sure what to feel. It was just too damn confusing to even _attempt_ to think about. He felt strangely elated when he thought about how much Lee cared for him and their babies, but at the same time, his stomach clenched with guilt. Gaara loved it when Lee touched him, when Lee worshipped him; just being with Lee was an awe-striking experience. And he, Gaara, had been too weak to fend off Orochimaru. He was dirty, unclean. He couldn't tell Lee about the rape, he just couldn't.

Gaara's feet led him into the woods, almost as if moving of their own accord. As was often these days, a spasm gripped his stomach, forcing a hiss from between his lips. That one felt a bit different then the usual ones. Gaara ignored it and continued on, determined to reach Konoha. A painful spasm tore through his belly. Gaara clenched his teeth and kept on moving.

He got about an hour of walking in before the most painful jerk he'd ever felt ripped at his stomach. A silent scream escaped his thin lips, crying out desperately for air. Another took hold, forcing Gaara to his knees. Refusing to be defeated, Gaara grabbed hold of a nearby tree, forcing his body up. But this was no use. Within five minutes, Gaara was on the ground, writhing in his pain, feeling the sharp twist of contractions as he envisioned Konoha, not more then a mere couple miles away.


	30. Ch29 birth

Author's Note: Can anyone guess what chapter this is? The final chapter (not including the epilogue/author's note-that'll be up in about a week or so). I can't believe that after this I only have an epilogue to post and it will be complete. Well, I really don't have anything to say right now except: see you next week-for the end...

Team Gai could see Konoha off in the distance. It had been a long, tiring journey, but they were finally going to get home. The three of them slowed down, taking unhurried steps towards their home village. Tenten smiled over at Lee. "So Lee, you excited about seeing Gai-sensei again? I bet he's been worried about you."

Lee looked over at his teammate and gave her a bright smile. "You bet!" He punched the air once for emphasis. "I plan to train extra hard!" Neji smirked. At least Lee was finally feeling a bit better.

The day went by relatively smooth. They once had a bit of, 'trouble', when Lee caught sight of a defenseless bunny begging for food. Of course Lee had to sit down for an hour and feed the rabbit food while talking to it as if it understood him. Sometimes his teammates wondered if perhaps the creatures did understand what their crazy teammate said…

It was getting close to sunset and the group stopped to pull out a light dinner. Neji leaned over his pack and paused. "Do you hear that?" Neji's Byakugan instantly activated and the other two jumped into fighting position. "There." Neji looked in a particular direction before heading off, quiet as a cat.

His teammates followed behind him, wondering what could possibly be out here in the middle of no man's land. Neji stopped them, and together they looked out ahead through the trees. A figure sat hunched, their nails biting into the bark of a nearby tree and their breath coming out in pained pants. Neji's eyes narrowed and Lee looked on worriedly. "Lee."

"What Neji?"

"Go to him."

Lee cocked his head. "What? Why? Who is it?"

"Go." Neji replied in a firm voice.

Lee shrugged and jogged over to the figure. "Are you alri-" Lee's voice came out in a choked whisper. "Gaara?"

Break-

Gaara looked up at the figure. He wiped the sweat from his brow before he realized who it was standing above him. _'Lee?'_ Instantly, a twist of guilt struck his belly and he recoiled from the man standing before him. Lee knelt down, puzzled. The red-head turned his gaze to Lee's. Relief, confusion, and worry all came together on Lee's face in one jumbled expression. Gaara stiffened his heart, grasping the guilt he felt and shoving it deep down; so far that not even he could reclaim it.

Lee reached out a hand and brushed it over Gaara's cheek. With shuddering breaths, Gaara let himself lean into the touch, loving the feel of Lee's cold, rough skin on his own. Lee was crying profusely by now as he began to talk. "I-I missed you. Are you okay? Are the babies fine? Why are you breathing heavily? Oh! Are the babies coming? We must get to Tsunade!"

Gaara felt his little strength fade. Lee was here to protect him. Everything would be fine once more. With a slight smile, Gaara passed out into Lee's outstretched arms.

Break-

Gaara woke up to the dull ache of his contractions. He was lying on a hospital room bed and from what he could tell he was already prepped and ready for another c-section. His vision was blurry for a moment, but soon it cleared to reveal a bunch of faces he had not seen for what seemed like years. Lee sat on the bed close to him, holding his hand. On one side of the bed, Temari stood with Tsunade, restlessly moving from foot to foot. On the other side of the bed, sitting in a large cushioned chair, was a weary looking Kankuro. Kankuro paused to give his little brother a small smile before going back to petting a small white bundle of fur that was sitting in his lap.

Tsunade grinned at him. "It's good to see you back Gaara. We were all getting worried. But now, if you don't mind, we're going to get those babies out of you. It's time."

Gaara gave a nod. Lee squeezed his hand before standing. Everyone shuffled out of the room, Tsunade included. Gaara's vision swam for another few moments before he yet again was out cold.

Break-

Gaara awoke to dim lighting all around him. People in white suits were standing next to his bed, taking out his first baby. Gaara was barely conscious, only able to feel happiness as he watched his babies come out, one at a time. The second baby came and Gaara sighed, finally relieved to be finished. Instantly though, Gaara's eyes narrowed. A wave of shock hit him as he saw the doctors reach back into his belly and pull out a third child. Confusion overwhelmed Gaara and he turned inward for his few remaining moments of consciousness.

_'Shukaku?'_

_'Yes Gaara? What is it?'_

_'W-what's going on? M-my third baby died. You yourself told me I was only going to have three babies. And one died. I should only be having two.'_

Shukaku let out a harsh laugh as Gaara fell to the blackness of oblivion. _'Well, of course you're only having two babies Gaara. Because the third one…is _mine_.'_


	31. Epilogue the deal

Author's Note: OMG! It's the epilogue! IT'S THE END! I did a formal thank you, a timeline, and other things like that in the final author's note. I worked really hard on it, and it took me hours, yes, hours, to do. I hope everyone likes it! GOD IT'S OVER+tear+ for a short time anyways...

_Flashback-_

_Orochimaru spoke in a quiet whisper. "You must be Shukaku."_

_The raccoon face gave a cruel grin. "That I am."_

_Orochimaru smirked. "I see you've come out. Why would that be?"_

_The raccoon looked malevolent laying there. "I have a proposition for you."_

"_What could one such as you possibly gain from me?" Orochimaru said, crossing his arms over his chest, smirk still in place._

"_Sit down and I'll tell you a story." Shukaku said with a grin._

_Orochimaru sat on the bed and raised a brow. "I'm listening."_

"_As I can imagine, you're probably wondering why my Gaara is pregnant and just exactly how such a thing could happen."_

_Orochimaru chuckled. "You could say that."_

"_Well, I'll tell you. Five months ago, my little Gaara had, how should we call, a 'run-in', with another shinobi. As everything was happening, I came up with an idea. You see, I've been trapped in this wretched human body for a long time now and to say I'd like my freedom is an extreme understatement. And that is where it all started._

"_I'm sure you know, within Gaara I can basically do anything I please. So, I changed, well I should say, 'added', female organs to give myself the opportunity to have my children born, who would, in turn, free me once they were of age. But this is where I made my mistake. Naturally, since Gaara is my host, his babies became the container for my children._

"_I thought that while still in the womb, I could extract my children and reverse their places; thus giving my child control and making my child dominate. I was wrong though. Although my power can do the act of the switch, the babies were not strong enough to sustain it. The baby I attempted it on died, killing my child along with it."_

"_This is all very fascinating," Orochimaru cut in, "but what do you want me to do about it?"_

_Shukaku gave a sly smile. "So glad you asked. Here's my deal. You fuck Gaara so I can create a new child, but instead of my previous mistake, I will switch the roles at conception. I will control the fusion between demon and host and fuse them together myself. This way, I can attach the human baby to mine, so although human in form, it will have the mind and powers of a demon. And since the demon is the dominate one, the child will develop in the womb like a demon, like a raccoon demon. No one will ever suspect a thing."_

_Orochimaru looked at Shukaku expectantly. "That's all well and good, but what do I get out of this."_

"_A powerful heir that's half demon along with Gaara and his other children. Besides, from what I've seen, you'd enjoy having Gaara all to yourself very much indeed. However," Shukaku's voice deepened and turned a blood curdling cold, "you only get to keep them permanently _after_ I'm free."_

_Orochimaru looked down at Shukaku and a deadly sneer lit his face. "Deal."_

Author's Note: And low! It is done!


	32. Final Author's Note

Final Author's Note: (first a bit of history and thank you, then story details, and finally, notes/preview about the sequel)

**Thanks: **First and foremost, before I begin my info session, I'd like to thank all my fans/reviewers who have stuck by me even when my writing sucked. I love all of you! **aaliyah60002000, Admiral Raikou, Agetada, Akatsuki-Haiiro, Amy Hirosaki, AncientHistory, anime-girl50, Black Light Princess, bleedingcherry, chinsui-hime, Demain Matin, DesertPeach, DFCC, elf-princess4, Fullmetal Otaku-chan, green24, ilovedrunkrocklee, InuKaeba, Jayna M., Kahuri-chan, Kichino Sarafu, Loveless-Beloved-Endless, Masatar Torlyl, Mask of Mirage, Mikutashi, OrchidHedgehog, pagelupin, Psyco yaoi fan girl, Redroseprincess678, Reigning Fyre, Renjay, Riharu, Seshura, Shinimegami7, sicily iris, SteelBlue, Taisho-Arashi, UnforgivableSins, Unseeliedarkness, WhyTheHellDontSheLoveMe, wolf-deamon333, XkidPythona, Yami No Baiken**

I'd like to especially thank these four individuals who reviewed almost my entire story:

**aaliyah60002000 - 29 reviews**

**pagelupin - 20 reviews**

**Shinimegami7 – 20 reviews**

**green24 – 19 reviews**

Because of her continual support and for receiving my number one reviewers spot, **aaliyah60002000**, will be receiving a little prize. **aaliyah60002000** – I will message you soon about it!

**Sort of a History**: Phew! Okay, now onto business! So, I came up with this story concept when I was at my friend's house, and I actually began writing it the night before we left for Cedar Point. I give much, mucho, lots, tons, of thanks and love to B2 (code name, don't ask) a.k.a. Unseeliedarkness who has helped me again and again with this story. She is the one who helped me with plotline development and she also was my beta for every chapter! Anyways, I have continually pushed myself to be at least a couple chapters ahead by the time I posted. In fact, by the middle of this fic I was pushing myself to be at least five chapters ahead (even with all the research I had to do on pregnancy/multiple births/raccoon pregnancy/etc)! Crazy, I know, although I do recommend it. One thing that I must warn all writers, which was mentioned before by another author that I can't find at this moment…I quote (what I can remember anyways…): "Writing does not magically transfer itself from paper to computer, although I wish it did!" I wrote probably around ten of the chapters on paper and it's a bitch; however, it does mean you catch more of your mistakes!

**Info on Devil in the Sand**: Alright, so for all those people out there wondering, or who have gotten confused over time (considering that there were a few small discrepancies when it came to weight and such); B2 and I have contrasted a timeline of all the events that occurred…

Day 1: Kimimaro fight/Lee and Gaara have sex/Gaara gets pregnant: **prologue and chapter 1**

Two weeks: Gaara arrives home wounded and sick/Lee breaks down: **chapter 2 and 3**

Two weeks and one day: Kankuro goes to doctor to get medicine: **chapter 4**

Three weeks: Gaara keeps on getting sick and asks Shukaku who tells him to ask Temari: **chapter 4**

Four weeks (one month): Gaara's been moody and nauseous/Gaara talks with Temari who comes up with the pregnancy theory/Gaara asks Shukaku and Shukaku confirms Gaara's pregnancy: **chapter 4**

Four and ½ weeks (one month and ½ week): Lee reaches River Country and begins his mission: **chapter 5**

Five weeks and five days (one month, one week, and five days): Gaara overhears his siblings talking about the weight gain/figure overhears conversation and vanishes into the night: **chapter 6**

Six weeks (one and ½ months): Gaara has gained 15 pounds and is experiencing horrible pregnancy symptoms/Temari and Kankuro ask Gaara to talk to Shukaku who tells him he's having triplets/Gaara tries to kill the babies: **chapter 6**

Six and ½ weeks (one month and two and ½ weeks): Lee reaches Lightening Country: **chapter 5**

Eight weeks (two months): Lee leaves Lightening Country: **chapter 5**

Ten weeks and a couple days (two months, two weeks, and a couple days): Lee confesses it was Gaara that he slept with/Naruto tells team Gai about Shukaku: **chapter 7**

Fourteen and ½ weeks (three months and two weeks): Gaara has gained a lot more weight/sand siblings request mission to Konoha: **chapter 8**

Fifteen weeks (three months and three weeks): Sand siblings get month long mission to Konoha: **chapter 8**

Sixteen weeks (four months): Sand siblings reach Konoha: **chapter 8**

Seventeen weeks (four months and one week): Gaara gets new clothes/sand siblings go out to dinner/Konoha shinobi notice Gaara's weight/Gaara destroys plate and rushes out/Konoha shinobi follow Temari and find Gaara fighting Kankuro/Kankuro's close brush with death/babies kick for first time/Shikamaru figures out Gaara's problem/the bet: **chapter 9 and 10**

Seventeen weeks and a couple days (four months, one week, and a couple days): Kankuro confronts Kiba: **chapter 11**

Seventeen weeks and five days (four months and five days): Meeting in clearing/sand sibs confront Konoha boys/Gaara threatens death to anyone who tells/Neji tells Lee: **chapter 12**

Eighteen weeks (Four months and a week): Gaara pukes up blood/Lee and Gaara see each other for the first time since conception/Lee takes Gaara out to lunch/Gaara and Lee sex: **chapter 13 and 14**

Nineteen and ½ weeks (four months and three and ½ weeks): Gaara's been staying with Lee at all times/Gaara gets intense stomach pain/The 5th examines Gaara and informs Gaara and Lee that one of the babies is dead/Tsunade agrees to keep the secret about the babies/explanation about miscarriage/Tsunade performs c-section/Tsunade explains the male pregnancy thing and how Gaara's development is sped up: **chapter 15 and 16**

Nineteen and ½ weeks and one day (four months, three weeks, and five days): Gaara wakes up/Gaara is kidnapped: **chapter 17**

Nineteen and ½ weeks and a couple days (four months, three weeks, and six days): Tsunade sends out ANBU and the Konoha ninja to find Gaara/Gaara awakes at Orochimaru's and talks to Kabuto/Gaara finds out he is unable to use his powers/Orochimaru and Shukaku make a deal: **chapter 18 and epilogue**

Twenty weeks (five months): Gaara is raped/Gaara sees Sasuke: **chapter 19**

Twenty-two weeks (five months and two weeks): Gaara is peeing a lot and puking/Gaara has gained 55 pounds/Gaara is tired all the time/Gaara bitches out Sasuke: **chapter 20**

Twenty-three weeks (five months and three weeks): Kiba is attacked/Kankuro nearly kills the attacker/Temari has a little break down and Shikamaru comforts her/Orochimaru has a party and dresses Gaara up/Gaara is almost raped by someone other than Orochimaru/Orochimaru beats up the man trying to rape Gaara: **chapter 21, 22, 23, 24**

Twenty-four weeks (six months): Kabuto frees Gaara/Kiba and Kankuro have sex/Kankuro is gravely wounded/Orochimaru confronts Kabuto: **chapter 25, 26, and 27**

Twenty-six and ½ weeks (six months and two and ½ weeks): Shukaku uses Gaara's body to kill the escaped prisoner/Gaara is feeling the weight of the pregnancy: **chapter 27**

Twenty-eight weeks (seven months): Lee feels a bit down/Team Gai finds corpse/Gaara goes into labor/hours later team Gai finds Gaara and takes him back to Konoha/Gaara pushes away guilt/Gaara sees his siblings/Tsunade performs c-section/Gaara has three babies instead of two: **chapter 28 and 29**

End Timeline

And that my friends' is how everything went down +nods head in satisfaction+. Next we have some of the quirks. This story was a big struggle for me when it came to characters. I have tried ever so hard to keep everyone in character. Gaara was especially hard because his personalities after the Kimimaro fight and after he becomes Kazekage (even though he isn't when the story takes place) is torture to write. Then I had to add the pregnancy into the mix, which meant I had to satisfy the need to see pregnancy hormonal emotional flips and keep him well enough in character. Damn that was hard. I hope I accomplished it!

Another thing I'd like to mention is that yes, Gaara _does_ love Lee. If you remember, he doesn't quite know what love is, or how he's supposed to feel love. He loves Lee, just in his own special, naïve way. Next thing to note is the reason behind Gaara's guilt/shame at the very end. I'm not sure if it was really clear _why_ he felt that way, but I'll mention it now for all parties that are confused. Orochimaru was able to rape Gaara, which is a fact we all see. There are two things to point out when it comes to Gaara. 1. He finds this reality horrifying. He sees it as a weakness and he, Gaara, is _never_ weak. 2. Gaara allowed Lee to touch him, because he trusted Lee. With Orochimaru on the other hand, he feels violated and dirty because that was something he only entrusted to Lee; his first real friend. I'm hoping that cleared that thing up a bit, but if not, message me and I'll try again!

Why didn't I kill off Kankuro? I love the little bastard and I made him go through three near death experiences. He deserved life.

Why didn't I keep up with honorifics throughout the fic? You know how freaking time consuming it is to use the honorifics that every single character uses for different people for 31 chapters? F-ing hard. So, after the first couple of chapters I stopped. It was just too dang difficult.

Why did Gaara spit up blood before he miscarried? When women miscarry, most find blood spots down in their nether regions sometimes weeks beforehand. Gaara, as I have mentioned, doesn't have a vagina (he has a uterus, which is different) so the blood had to come out somewhere.

How much weight did Gaara actually gain and why so much? Gaara gained about 70 pounds during his pregnancy. Raccoons actually gain about 120 percent of their body weight when pregnant. If Gaara had gained that much, he would have been 253 pounds! Women who are carrying triplets typically gain 1.5 pounds each week. Usually they gain between 50-60 pounds by the end. I kind of balanced out the two. So, in the end, Gaara gained 2.5 pounds per week, which is around 60 percent of Gaara's original body weight.

Why did the demon baby only take two months to develop? Raccoons are pregnant for around two months; thus the reason why I mentioned "raccoon demon" in the epilogue.

Why wasn't Lee included more in story after chapter 17? As much as I hate to say it, Lee just wasn't as important to the story as Gaara was. Lee's reactions and Lee's experiences are _very_ predictable and I just didn't deem it necessary to waste everyone's time with fillers; considering I did that once near the beginning of the story and no one really liked it (okay most people were irritated and mad because of it).

The biggest question I think everyone has; why didn't Gaara think more about Lee while at Orochimaru's? The dream Gaara had his first night there was very symbolic of his feelings at the time. He felt as if he had lost Lee, which caused him pain to think about. Then after Orochimaru rapes him, he feels guilty. Therefore, all feelings and thoughts Gaara had about Lee were pushed to the back of his mind. Gaara didn't want to feel these painful emotions that he got when he thought of Lee, so he locked them up.

If there is anything else anyone would like explained, please, don't hesitate to message me! I would love to hear from all of you!

**The Sequel**: I am pleased to announce that the sequel is in healthy condition and that I already have planned out the plotline and started writing! The first chapter should be up relatively soon so don't forget to check back frequently. And here is what I am assuming you've all been waiting for, the description and preview…

Description: As I have mentioned before, the sequel is about Gaara and Lee's children. The story is cut into segments because I have around four time skips planned. The first segment takes place four years after the end of Devil in the Sand. I apologize profusely to all those who wanted to see the baby years of the children. In this point in my life though, with a baby sister who drives me up the wall and my gradually growing annoyance at baby stories in general, I couldn't bear the thought of writing about it. I'm really, really sorry! Anyways, back to the description…the first segment helps set up characters and establishes family relationships and who got together with who, etc, etc. I am warning everyone now that, yes, that asshole +cough+ I mean, sweetheart, Uchiha is back in Konoha. I refuse to write Naruto with anyone but Sasuke so you'll just have to deal. May I also mention (read between the lines here people) that Naruto is the one and only creator of the technique Sexy no Justsu. I didn't do what I did in the sequel because I randomly wanted to throw in more mpreg, I did it because the characters I could get out of the two of them were like a Holy Grail when it came to cast.

The segments that follow are similar to the actual Naruto series in the fact that there are the Chuunin exams and whatnot that the characters have to go through. Is there a difference between the sequel and the actual series? Yes, a _huge_ one. What my goal was with Devil in the Sand, and with its sequel, was to make them both Soap Operas. Yes, I admit, I wanted them to be Soap Operas. Do you remember when you found Devil in the Sand and it said, 'Drama' for the category? If there had been 'Soap Opera' I would have chosen that instead. I wanted them both to be focused more on the characters then on action. The Naruto series is really weird when it comes to that, because every episode/book tends to be either all action or all character stuff. Especially during the exams when you see nearly everyone's past. The main cast in the sequel is also very different from the series. There really isn't any 'main' character and the main team is _nothing_ like Naruto's group. There _is_, however, a part of the cast that follows down the path of its predecessors, but whether or not they follow their fate will have to wait until you read! Hehe!

The last segment, I will tell you now, is not very clear-cut like Devil in the Sand was. It could very well end with the sequel, but the ending is so crazy that I'm debating whether or not to write a continuation after the sequel! However, I'm not sure you all will still be with me by that time, and if I don't have people who want it, then I won't write it because, well, the last installation of the series would be the most difficult to write. If it does become a trilogy, I hope all my fans will still be there to give me support, because I know that I sure will need it!

That's all I have to say for now folks! But I hope to see you all come sequel time! I love all of you and I hope this little excerpt leaves you wanting more!

Excerpt from the upcoming sequel, A Demon Born From Sand:

_Kichiro walked alongside the road, a gloating smirk upon his face. He knew exactly where he was going. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew exactly what was happening to those vermin that shared part of his blood. His crazy grin grew wider. Too bad Kichiro the human had never really existed. He was sure that's who everyone would have wanted though (if they knew). Especially his father. His father was the only one who _knew_. His father knew that it was the demon that lived. The only human part of him other than the body was a few faint lingering human emotions given to him by his once upon a time inner self. The poor fools who didn't know otherwise would always be just that; fools._

I hope that piqued your interest+grin+ See you all again really soon!


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